


sulfur.

by ahhhh



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: AU, Blood and Gore, Character Turned Into Vampire, Dark, Developing Relationship, F/F, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-05-23 06:28:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 100,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6107950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahhhh/pseuds/ahhhh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura is working at a bar with Kirsch, SJ, Betty and her manager Danny, while finishing her last year at Silas University.</p><p>She is living off campus with her best friends Lola Perry and LaFontaine, fellow students, who are the only ones who know about her 'special power,' which she is only starting to learn about.</p><p>Vampires have recently gone public (ala True Blood) and her bar is trying to accommodate these new members of society - when one night Laura meets Carmilla, the first non-human patron of her bar.</p><p>When disappearances start occurring on Campus of cause it falls to Laura to investigate.</p><p>In the process her life changes completely.<br/>Things are going to get a little dark... Just a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. O N E

One.

 

I walked into the bar in a great mood, I was usually in a great mood to be honest. The other bartenders and waitresses looked hungover, those that had turned up that is. It was a small student bar in the town near the Silas University campus. I had to work there for my last year of school but, despite not being a student bar most of the staff were friends from college. Danny was my manager and it helped to flirt a little with her to get preferential treatment.

“Afternoon!” I greeted her as I wandered in casually throwing my jacket onto the hook behind the bar. 

“You’re in a good mood,” Danny said, “fun night?”

“Not really, I just watched tv, I just slept well, I mean it was Thursday,” I said tying an apron around my waist. 

“Lucky you,” Kirsch said appearing from behind the kitchen door in full chef uniform. “My head is still sore. from two days ago. I don’t know how I managed to get out drunk by a girl.” 

“Yeah you did!” Danny laughed and punched him in the arm. 

“I’m never drinking again,” Kirsch said shaking his head. 

“He lies to himself,” SJ said coming around the corner from the back tying her apron on. 

“Yeah I know,” he grinned stupidly.

“Shouldn’t you be doing prep?” Danny asked, going into manager mode.

“Sure thing boss bro,” he said jovially and closed the door to get back to work. 

“He’s an idiot,” Danny said.

“He’s a cute idiot,” SJ smiled, skipping around the bar. “Hey you got the new vampire juice in?”

“Yeah!” Danny replied happily, “there’s some problem with the refrigeration unit so Laf is going to tinker with it. But! But when it’s done The Anvil Bar will be vampire friendly! It’ll be really good for business, kids from school and locals will be interested in meeting one and will turn up and drink hoping to catch a glimpse. Plus it’s tolerant and inclusive, both good for business.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one if I’m being truthful,” I piped up.

“I want to,” SJ said.

“What we talking about?” Betty asked walking into the bar taking her sunglasses off. She looked hungover. 

“Vampires.”

“Ohhh,” her eyes lit up as she hopped up onto the countertop, “best fuck I have fucking had!” 

Oh god, I rolled my eyes and started prepping the equipment for bussing tables. 

“Oh you never fucked a vamp, you’re lying!” SJ said.

“I am not! It was amazing he could move at superspeed. It was like being drilled.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah!”

“You lucky bitch!” SJ said enviously, leaning her elbows on the bartop and rested her chin in her hands. 

“Where did you meet him?” Danny asked. Oh so it’s just me who is awkward about this conversation. That’s terrific.

“You know that Vamp bar in Springfield?”

“Yeah, what’s it called?”

“The Blood Bank, it’s…”

“Wait, wait, wait,” I had to pipe up, “they called their bar ‘the Blood Bank?’ Are you kidding me?”

“Yeah I thought it was a pretty shitty name, but I googled a few others before I decided going there and they all have awful names, like the Neck and Neck or the Bloodhound,” Betty explained. “I just went in my sluttiest outfit.” Of course you did, as opposed to your least slutty outfit which is still really slutty. “And this guy approached me and got me some drinks and one thing lead to another…”

“We get it!” I cried out annoyed.

“Oh I forgot little miss prude would object, why don’t you stand outside or color in one of the kid’s menu while the adults talk,” SJ laughed at me.

“Hey don’t talk to her like that!” Danny reprimanded her and smiled softly at me. I don’t know what’s worse. SJ and Betty’s sex obsession or Danny trying to watch out for me like I’m a child. I did take her advice anyway and walked off to set the cutlery and placemats up on each table and booth. 

“ANYWAY,” Betty stressed, “so we went back to his place and....”

Just ignore them Laura, just ignore them. I set up the tables and wandered into the back to have a sandwich before the placed opened at 4pm.

“Knock, knock!” Laf said rapping their knuckles on the door to the breakroom. 

“Hey Laf!” I mumbled through a food filled mouth, dropping crumbs out my mouth as I waved. 

“Hey L,” they smiled at me coming and joining me at the tiny little table. “hanging out with all your friends?”

“I am now you’re here!”

“Christ, you’re too full of sunshine to even mock,” they laughed again as I beamed a wide smile. 

“Did you fix the fridge?”

“Yeah it was easy, the fuse wasn’t fitted properly, a monkey could be trained to repair it,” they said rolling their eyes. “And then the monkey wouldn’t understand what the word ‘plough,’ or ‘fucked senseless,’ would mean.”

“Betty?”

“Yeah she’s excited about potential vampire customers because of some very, erm, unsavory reasons,” Laf elaborated. 

“What does she want to have… Sex,” wow the word sounded awkward just coming out of my mouth, “with every vampire who walks in.”

“Pretty much, I tuned them out after a while.” 

“I wish I had that ability,” I said jealously. 

“Hey you’ll be out of here at some point and they’ll be here forever, and ever,” Laf said reassuringly. 

“Sure, how’s Perry by the way I haven’t seen her in a couple days?”

“She wants us to get a dog!”

“Aw!”

“Not aw, our landlord won’t allow pets and you have to walk them. so there is no way to hide it, or him, or her.”

“Then say no…”

“She already has her heart set on this pippy, which will be all yappy,” Laf moaned, head in their hands. 

“We can call it Woofers! Or Mr Woofers!” I suggested ignoring their foul mood. 

“You’re annoying.”

“I’m adorable! Plus I don’t mind walking it.”

“Don’t! We need to show solidarity against her.” 

“Yes you are,” Danny said from the doorway, “but adorable or not customers are going to start trickling in soon so back to work please and Laf could you help me set up the new neon sign please?”

“Neon sign?” 

“Yeah, it lets people know we sell artificial blood here.”

“You really think vampires will come here?!”

“No.”

“Then why buy the blood and sign?” Laf asked confused.

“It’ll attract idiots who want to see vampires, it’s a genius marketing ploy! Right Laura?” Danny nudged me as I stood next up and put away my lunchbox… Don’t judge me it’s Fraggle Rock! Also don’t act like I need encouraging in conversation! Ahhhh I wanted to scream sometimes, I really like Danny but she does treat me like a child. 

“I’ll start serving drinks then I guess,” I said leaving the room quickly to get to work. 

The usual suspects came in, construction crew and workmen came first just after 5 from the surrounding area still in the their dirtied clothes ordering beer and pretzels and flirting with SJ and Betty. 

They were followed after 6 o’clock by the businessmen, middle-manager and office workers in their button up shirts and suits who went to the booths rather than the bar and got platters of sharing foods and wine or craft beers. They were more restrained and quieter to begin with but were always worse when the workers went home to their families and they dominated the bar. 

7 o’clock was a quiet hour the people who dripped in tended to join existing parties having been working later than their friends. 

8 o’clock the students who were pre-drinking on our cheaper drinks came in and I had to start making spirits and soft drinks for them before they went on to the limited amount of night clubs around. 

“Hey blondie,” one student, frat boy greeted me as he cockily jumped up onto the bar stool and grabbed my wrist. Oh no it was happening.

I felt the now familiar flash and I saw several snapshots, him drinking here, drinking out then snorting cocaine then lying in his own vomit on a shower room floor. It made me feel sick when that happened. 

I snapped out of the trance as he rudely clicked his fingers in my face. 

“Blondie!? You there sweetheart?”

“Yeah sorry, what can I get you?”

“That’s alright blondie you make it up to me by sitting on my face!” His friends laughed raucously as Betty came up next to me.

“Hey Tyler,” she greeted him. Oh of course she knows him. “It’s ok Laura I’ll serve them, they’re friends. What’ll it be boys?”

“Shots!”

“Yeah,” the idiot brigade chimed in with their agreement. Idiots, morons and imbeciles. It’s my fault for working in a bar. No, you know what no, it’s people’s fault for not behaving themselves. I needed to rest. I always need to rest after I get those… Foreshadowings. To be honest I don’t know what they are, it happens when I’m not paying attention and someone touches my skin. I can see parts of their immediate future. 

The only people who know are my friends Laf and Perry, I wouldn’t even trust Danny with that information. There a lot of evangelical sorts who would want to kill and burn anything they could consider as supernatural. 

“Hey Laura,” Danny wandered over to me, she had inky fingers, she’d probably been doing some of the stock intake work, I’m not envious of that at all. “I know you hate the frat boys…”

“You don’t?”

“They’re ok, you can be a little sensitive,” she said tentatively. Oh that’s really nice. “Why don’t you switch to serving tables and Betty can take the slack at the bar. She seems to like the attention.” 

“Fine,” I went over to the bar to put on the apron I removed to tend bar. As the door almost blow open naturally and… Wow. An ice pale brunette walked, I exhaled deeply looking at her. She was gorgeous, curly raven hair cascaded down her shoulders, her face had high cheekbones and a perfectly cut jaw with piercing, deep pools of eyes. Dressed in black, a black leather jacket over a black shirt with black jeans. Oh my god. She had a swagger and confidence which turned all the frat boy’s heads and even the timid office workers stopped to look at her.

Betty and SJ were shooting her daggers of jealously as she sauntered past the bar not even glancing at anyone, she walked to the back of the bar and slid into an empty booth. She looked at the menu in front of her and looked up to meet my gaze, well less of a gaze and more of a weird stare. I went over to her to take her order.

I dropped my pad on the way over fumbling to retrieve it from my pocket and then dropped my pen as I got the pad from the floor. She was smirked a faint smile by the time I got over to her.

“Good evening!” I greeted her enthusiastically smiling widely, “welcome to the Anvil Bar, the something of somewhere in Silas, oh drat I forgot the slogan.” She just looked up at me from her seat with a bemused yet expectant look. “Erm, yeah where was I? Oh right, hi, again, I’m Laura, can I get you anything to drink to start with?”

“Aren’t you adorable? Like a little bounding puppy bubbling with energy,” she replied in a sultry voice. 

“Erm… I…” I stopped when she held up a hand.

“Don’t start every sentence with erm, and don’t say like either, it’s an awful trait of this generation,” she commanded. 

“Ok, um,” she cracked a smile at that, “um isn’t an erm!”

“But you just said erm,” she said, her tone hadn’t changed once from flat.

“Not at the start though!”

“Fair enough carry on your routine.”

“Routine? Oh right yes we have several small meals and drink offers to start with, will you be alone or…”

“Alone and I don’t want anything to eat,” she said flatly again. I felt like I should be uncomfortable with the stare she was fixing with me but it was… Enticing if anything I just wanted to drown in those dark pools. 

“Ok we have several specialized drink options if you would like a recommendation?” I asked.

“No, do you have any of that synthetic blood… I saw that very gaudy, awful sign outside,” she said calmly. Woah, ok, ok, maybe she was just a weird goth kid trying to be dark and mysterious. 

“Oh are you… Are you…” I started hoping she’d finish the sentence, but she didn’t she just looked up at me emotionless and expectant.

“Am I waiting for an answer to my question? If so you yes.”

“No I mean yes we have it, it’s a funny story actually the fridge was only just fixed today.”

“You seem to be confused about the definition of funny,” she said smirking at me. 

“So you want a bottle of it?”

“Yes, A negative, warm it for 2 minutes in a… eugh, a microwave,” she ordered, the word microwave she made sound really dirty and unclean. 

“Hey I’m A negative blood type!” I said cheerily before I realized what I had said and my smile fell under her amused stare. 

“Are you offering cutie?”

“No, no, no ha ha no,” I rambled, “I’ll fetch you that drink.”

“Try not to spill it everywhere.”

“Will do,” I said and for some reason saluted, why am I such a nerd?! Shit. I went back to the bar.

“Hey blondie,” Tyler shouted at me, “what’s the deal with the brunette she’s hot as fuck, I’d love to bang the fuck out of her.”

“I wouldn’t recommend trying it,” I replied hurriedly as I opened the fridge with the artificial blood in looked for the A negative and removed it before going back to the kitchen trying to ignore the frat boys. “Hey Kirsch!” I called over the frying and sizzling noise of the kitchen. 

“Hey Laur! Not that busy tonight!” He called back. As I went to the microwave and placed the bottle inside and set the timer. Oh it was moving slowly. I know it was doing that on purpose. Tick tock, or no, not that on a analog ding-dong? No beep, beep. Hey it was done. I removed it and held it by the plastic lid which wasn’t boiling like the glass. I went back to the bar floor and went over to her and placed it down.

“Here you go!” I beamed.

“No glass?”

“No… I’ll go get one.”

“You do that.”

I rushed over to the bar and grabbed a tumbler from the racks of glasses and walked back in a hurry, so much of a hurry that I slipped and tripped right by her table and before I knew it she was standing next to me holding me up. Wait what? She had been there and now she was… Wow that was fast, imperticiplely fast, I guess she just isn’t a goth kid. Could be a goth vampire? Were there goth vampires I mean you could be a vampire and still like the music and focus Laura! 

“I told you not drop my drink,” she purred quietly into my ear.

“It’s just the glass?” I took what she said literally for the moment then shook my head to rearrange my brain. “Here you go!” I brandished the glass like it was special. 

She sat back down, sliding gracefully back into the booth. I placed the glass down in front of her. 

“Is that it?” She asked coolly.

“Huh?” I asked confused and a little nervous.

“You’re not going to pour my drink?” 

“Oh, oh! Right sorry!” I chirped cracking the lid from the bottle and pouring a measure into the glass. “Do need anything else? Like a… A…” I struggled to find an end to that sentence as she just looked up at me again waiting for me to finish. “Like a straw?”

“Do I look like a child?”

“No… Are straws for children? I like to use straws it makes drinks more funny especially the bendy ones!” Oh no my mouth was making sentences without thought. 

“Of course you do. Tell me cutie would you drink blood, well if you can call this,” she nudged the glass distastefully, “blood with a bendy straw?”

“If I were a vampire I would… I don’t see why not.”

“You’re adorable.”

“I know right! I mean thanks,” I replied rolling my head to one side and cracking her a wide smile, she actually smiled back. She had nice teeth. I guess they don’t have fangs… Or maybe they retracted and detract like in the movies. Oh wait, her canines were slightly too long, slightly too pointed and just poked down from the line of other white pearls.

“Watch out for frat boys then, they’d love to spoil an innocent little girl like you.”

“I know they’re assholes,” I clapped my hand over my mouth realizing I spoke ill of the customers.

“You don’t say? The one who would like to, what was? ‘Bang the fuck out of me,’ was it? Seems particularly charming,” she drawled sarcastically.

“You heard that?!” I squeaked.

“Of course, he’s talking about how he would like to fuck both of us at the same time right now…” 

“Ewww. You can hear? And ewwwww.”

“I can hear the bum taking a piss in your alley outside cupcake. So frat boy isn’t your type? Let me guess the more straight laced type?”

“I don’t know if I have a type…” I pondered. “My high school girlfriend was pretty straight laced but in… Actually just her so yeah,” why am I talking, why am I revealing this to her?! Stop Laura. 

“So he really isn’t your type,” she laughed sharply before her features reset in the stoney look which seemed to be her regular state. There was a magnetic pull to her gaze. Does she have mind control powers?

“Besides I don’t care about him he’s going to drink himself stupid and sleep on a bathroom floor,” I said. 

“Just a guess?” She asked.

“Erm yeah, I guess!” I covered myself nervously. She looked at me, like she was looking right into me. “Well give me a shout if you need anything else.”

“Will do.”

I wandered back to the bar in a sort of haze that was a weird feeling just talking to her. 

“So The Anvil got its first vampire,” Danny said to me as I got to the bar as she was cleaning glasses. She did move around and do a lot of different jobs at this place. 

“Seems so,” I responded. SJ was moving around the tables while Betty was with the frat boys still flirting shamelessly and doing shots with them. That was professional. Danny didn’t seem to mind her shirking. She had explained that it brings them back here to spend their cash if they like the wait staff. 

“What did she have to say?”

“It was mostly criticism of my drink pouring abilities…”

“Oh really?” She asked stopping cleaning the glasses to look up at me, “well it was the first time anyone served the artificial blood, so mistakes are understandable.” 

“I suppose.” 

“Yeah don’t worry about it, but hey actually got a vamp in here! So I was wrong.”

“Yeah, she seems nice enough, she stopped me from tripping over.”

“See things work out,” she said absent mindedly, she was only half listening. “Can you take out the trash please, things are slowing down here, it’s only drinkers now.”

As if on cue Kirsch walked out of the kitchen and poured himself a beer and sat behind the bar next to Danny to talk to her. We all knew he liked her. 

I went round to the back of the kitchen and picked up the bags of trash. Of course choose the smallest person on staff to take out the huge bags. There were three, I would have to take them out individually. I stood shoulder wide each side of it and hefted it up and dragged it out of the door and down to the dumpster.

Then the next one which was a bit more difficult.

Then as I got the last one I had to stop, I was actually sweating, sweating from mild physical exertion. Oh god. There was a sudden, blinding flash of pain in the right side of my vision and I was on the floor. Ow what the hell? 

My chest compressed with another sharp pain under the force of something unseen and unknown. “Take that cunt!” A voice came from the now foggy vision I had of the alley. Oh god I was being mugged. Oh god. Another kick and I coughed a lot of blood up. Oh god, another kick to my face and I couldn’t open my right eye.

“Get her fucking money, get it!” The cruel voice cried from above. “Stop moving cunt!” It yelled angrily as another kick reigned down and my hearing went and was replaced with a ringing noise.

“Who are…” The voice cut off with a scream and there was a cracking noise then a second. I tried to open my eyes and it was just flashes of light with an outline, blurrily appearing over me. Was I dead?

“Drink,” a heavenly detached voice said and the next thing I remember was warm fluid trickling over my mouth and lips. It was an unfamiliar taste but amazing, an otherworldly taste and then blackness overtook me. 

I opened my eyes, I opened them and the pain was gone. Completely gone, I blinked them open, where was I? I looked around and saw the mysterious brunette from the bar perched on her heels looking down me. 

“You ok there cutie?”

“What happened?” I had expected my voice to rasp out but it came out clear as day. 

“You got jumped sweetheart,” she said casually. 

“That happened?”

“Yes. They kicked the shit out of you.”

“I feel fine…” I said confused.

“I gave you my blood, it would have knitted your ribs back together, reattached your retina and fixed your lacerations.”

“What?!”

“You had several broken ribs, your eye was detached and you have a lot of deep cuts and heavy internal bleeding,” she said it casually as if giving her drink order.

“Your blood fixed all that? How long?”

“25 minutes ago. You would have definitely died,” she said offhandedly.

“What? So you saved me?”

“Sure I guess.”

“Why?”

“You’re adorable I suppose,” she smirked shrugging and stood up and pulled me up by the hand. “See you around cutie.” She started to wander off. We around the side of the alley where I guess I was attacked. 

“What’s your name?” I called after her.

“Carmilla.”

“I’m Laura.”

“See you soon cutie.”

“I hope so!” 

Wow. That didn’t feel like it had even happened. I looked down at my white shirt and it was coated in blood. Just coated and my hair had drops in it.

Carmilla. I repeated the name to myself. It’s a nice name. I reached into my pocket but phone was smashed to bits the screen blinking colors instead of forming words. Great. I looked back up but she was gone. Every cloud I suppose.


	2. T W O

“Laura?!” Perry called through the bathroom door, “you ok in there?”

“Yeah,” I shouted back, oh please go away, I was trying to wash the blood out of my bar uniform in the sink. It just wouldn’t come out. I was scrubbing frantically with a brush my hands were red from the hot water but I just didn’t feel the pain. I could hear Perry’s footsteps moving away through the door over the running water. I could hear Laf’s fingers typing on their keyboard… What was happening? Was it the blood? Was her blood giving me heightened senses?

“Dammit!” I cursed throwing the brush away with frustration. I would have to bin the shirt. I made sure my towel was tight around my body and left the bathroom hiding the shirt best I could before slipping into my bedroom and hiding it at the bottom of my closest. I got changed into my pajamas and I felt like a bolt of electricity down my spine just bending over. 

Woah, I stretched my leg and the muscles felt electrified like pulsing pleasure running up and down and through my quads and hamstrings. I clasped my hands together and raised them above my head and pushed towards the ceiling. My spine and back had the same amazing feeling. What was that smell?

I wandered out into the hallway, sniffing at the air, it was cheese and tomato and dough. Pizza! I went into the kitchen and saw Laf had just placed it into the oven and it had barely started cooking. I could smell the flavors in layers, one on top of the next. 

“Hey L!” Laf greeted me cheerily. “Fun night at work?”

“It was fine, uneventful,” I lied. 

“You’re back early, it’s not even midnight!” They commented looking at the oven’s clock.

“Yeah… Yeah it was slow so Danny let me go early,” I lied again. I couldn’t really say what happened. It was too much to explain. Especially late at night. 

“Fine I’ll ask, you want some pizza?”

“Huh?”

“You’re just staring at it.”

“Erm, yeah thanks!” I beamed at them and sat down at the table next to Laf, bouncing up and down on the leather enjoying the springy sponge. 

“Having fun there?” They asked amused.

“Yeah, it’s bouncy!” I realized what I said and stopped, quick, quick change the topic, “sooo you make any headway on stopping Perr-perr getting a dog?”

“Yeah but she’s compromised with a kitten…” Laf trailed off clearly annoyed. I can imagine that took a long time to get that far. “We’re not allowed any pets!”

“I wouldn’t mind a kitten…”

“Oh L come on, solidarity!” They begged me. 

“We could call it Meowtchy!” I perked up at the possibility. 

“Woofers was your dog name suggestion and that’s your cat name?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded unashamed. 

“Well she has gone to bed and we’re going to the library tomorrow morning so I’ll get her away from you to talk her out of it.”

“Awww.”

“Don’t pout I’m immune to you trying to use cuteness as a weapon.”

I tried to make puppy dog eyes, puppy dog eyes to get a kitty cat! 

“No.”

Oh well. There was a beeping noise and Laf retrieved the pizza from the oven, and used to the roller to slice it into portions and gave me a couple taking the lion’s share for themselves. I took a bite and it was amazing, the texture and flavor weaved together on my tongue and I kept stuffing it in until the slice was demolished.  
“Fucking hell L isn’t that burning your mouth?”

“No?” Should it be? Was it the blood still. I presume making me feel more alive and experience life differently… More intense, it was hard to describe. I munched the second slice to bits including the crust which I would normally leave. 

“Nighty night Laf! Thanks for the pizza!” I said happily and got up and put the plate into the dishwasher and skipped off to my bedroom. I just didn’t care whether it was embarrassing or not, it just was a heightened rush moving quickly. I got into my room and closed the door and got under the covers and snuggled up. The sheets, like everything else, felt better than ever before and I rolled my shoulders and head, wiggling my hips enjoying the sensation. 

I rested back on the pillow and tucked myself in by moving side to side and jostling the duvet around myself. Snug as a bug in a rug! Hooray. Bed Laura!

I felt like I couldn’t sleep, I was far too excited. I thought I closed my curtains? I scooted over to the large window by the bed and reached out for the pulley. 

“Hey there cutie.”

AH I jumped back recoiling from the glass. She was just floating in the air, three storeys up. She can do that?! 

“Let me in.”

“Ok,” I opened the window wide.

“You have to invite me in.”

“Please come into my home Carmilla,” I said staring at her bewildered. She floated in gracefully until she was right above me, pinning me down to the bed holding my wrists and straddling my hips. 

“Hey,” I managed to say. As she leant in and licked the side of my throat, I shivered and moaned lewdly under her touch and writhed up.

“Hey.”

I moved closer to her reaching up, straining my neck to kiss her but she pulled away. 

“Not yet,” she whispered staring hypnotically into my eyes. I seemed to understand what she wanted and just nodded once slowly and turned my head to make my neck where she licked easier to access. She grinned widely fangs sliding out from her canines which were already slightly longer than normal teeth. 

She made a demonic noise and in superspeed attached her fangs to my neck, I couldn’t feel anything but my sex was tingling. Who would have known what a turn on this would have been? 

“Stop!” I cried out after a few moments but she didn’t, she made an animalistic growl and I tried to look down past her head and the bed was full of blood.

I jolted up, the blood was gone, she was gone and my head was in my pajamas bottoms touching myself. A dream? No way, that was as vivid as reality… I tossed my head back and tried to get to sleep. Fuck! 

I didn’t sleep, not much, I kept thinking about Carmilla and masturbated thinking of her, tried to sleep then repeated the process until I heard Laf and Perry leaving. I can’t have slept more than a hour but I felt fine. Stronger than ever before if anything, hornier than ever and more alert than I can remember being. 

I had hours to kill before I had to be at the bar. I guess I could try to do some schoolwork. 

I actually did, I managed to polish off twice as much coursework as I intended to when I started. I typed quicker and my mind didn’t stumble or pause like normal, I just ploughed through the work before realizing I needed to eat. I just had some fruit and again, it was better than ever before I felt like I could feel the tree it grew from and the sun which ripened it in the texture.

I called my phone company from the landline to get a new phone on insurance and was assured they would get on it first thing Monday. Another success. I wonder if this is what being a vampire is like? I can’t move at superspeed I don’t think or fly. Wait can they fly or did I dream that? Maybe both can be true. 

I changed into my spare bar staff uniform and scooped up the bloody, ruined one, marvelling at just how much blood I had lost. Though I suppose that on white it looks even worse. She said I could have died… It didn't feel like that. It didn’t feel like it even happened. Apart from the proof in my arms. 

I snuck downstairs and went to the refuge area and pulled out a few items from one of the bins and pushed my shirt down as far as possible before covering it back up. Done and done. 

I walked happily to the bar getting a hot chocolate from an small independent coffee place who were now selling blood infused coffee. Copy cats! 

“Hey Laura,” Danny scared me by coming up behind me and pushing her hands into my sides where I was ticklish. 

“Oh god!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump. Did someone cut out early last night?” She asked in a sing-song voice. It wasn’t endearing it was condescending. 

“Yeah I broke my phone taking out the trash so I rushed home to call the company,” I lied.

“Oh shit sorry to hear that, I didn’t actually notice, we had a little party with the staff and a few peeps from school who came in late.”

“Oh, cool,” I said unenthusiastically, though my tone fell on deaf ears. 

“Yeah it was, you should stay one night, drink, have some fun!”

“I don’t break my phone every night!” I said in my defense. I suppose I did break my phone, and most of my ribs and eye… 

“Don’t be so literal, lighten up!” She laughed placing an arm around my shoulder and squeezing me to her body then didn’t let go. I don’t like this. Please let go, please let go, please let go. 

She kept a hold for the last few paces to the bar before holding the door open for me.

“Thanks,” I mumbled heading in. Kirsch was already there eating a burger watching the bar tv. “Hey Kirsch!”

“Heulro,” he just about managed to get out with a mouth full of food.

“Charming,” I rolled my eyes. I could smell the low quality of the patty from the doorway. I could smell the stale beer in the patches of carpet and the wood of the bar. 

“Hello!” He tried again after taking a comedy sized swallow waving with a ketchup stained napkin in his hand, which he dropped in the process. I had to crack a smile at that. 

“Finish up Kirsch, Theo is coming in to help you tonight,” Danny informed him.

“Why?!” He asked offended.

“We have more tables tonight and last Saturday you were slow and…”

I didn’t care at all about this. I walked off to the break room and threw down my satchel and hung up my jacket. I had a bit of time to kill before service started, I don’t why I always arrived early, I just have an intrinsic need to be prepared. 

I just flicked through the old magazines which were left lying about for a while, I could hear Danny and Kirsch arguing over nothing. Put the ketchup in bowls when you serve them. No bro I like to blah blah no one cares! SJ and Betty arrived together and I went out to greet them. 

“Hey Laur,” Betty said her voice was husky and cracked a bit. I could smell the stale alcohol in her pores from across the bar. Is this heightened sense going to last forever? That’d be cool. Much more useful than seeing snapshot futures. 

“Hey,” I waved once. “SJ.”

“Nuuhhh,” she moaned. “My fuckin’ head is fuckin’ killin’ me fuck!” 

“You’re lucky you didn’t stay Laura,” Betty said, “I couldn’t eat solid food this morning… I didn’t this afternoon either.”

“Same,” SJ said bitterly. 

Oh this will be so much fun won’t it. Though I doubt they’ll be as annoying if they’re all messed up still. 

“I’ll do the prep then, you guys take a moment,” I offered, I had far too much energy to sit or stand around. 

“Thanks Laur,” Betty said slumping down onto a stool.

“Owe you one,” SJ added sitting next to her. “Where’s Danny?”

“Arguing with Kirsch,” I explained as I started to prep the tables starting near the bar and moving outwards. 

“When are those two going to get it over with and just fuck already?”

“I know right?”

SJ grabbed herself a couple of beers and handed one to Betty.

“Oh I fuckin’ love you,” she smiled clinking the bottles together and cracking them open and sucking them down. “Couple more and I’ll be right as rain.”

Oh I was wrong wasn’t I? Today is going to long too. I hope Carmilla comes in again. 

The tables and booths slowly filled throughout early evening as Theo came in and joined Kirsch in the kitchen. We all fell into the mundanity of taking orders, serving drinks, bringing food, cleaning plates and repeat. Betty was once again drinking with the barflys and flirting shamelessly. 

The night just dragged on. Saturday tended to have more people eating as the student union usually had an event on the same day every week and it sucked up the Silas clientele. Which though not good for business was good for my sanity. 

The restaurant closed at 10.30 and the bar remained opened until midnight. Like most nights the girls from the bar drank with the boys from the kitchen after closing. Despite Danny’s insistence I couldn’t face them and retrieved my jacket and satchel and said my farewells. 

I walked slowly down the street from the bar. Normally I would cut through some back streets and the park on the way home but after getting jumped I decided it would probably be best to walk the well lit paths.

I hummed to myself feeling disappointed the mysterious brunette vampire didn’t come tonight. Maybe it was too much to hope for.

“Sorry,” I said as I almost stumbled into someone not looking where I was going.

“Stalking me cutie, it’s meant to be the otherway around.”

Holy shit! I jumped up and looked up to see Carmilla standing just there. In the middle of the street. 

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself, managed to finish your shift without having the living fuck kicked out of you?”

“Not yet…”

She smirked. 

“What are you doing out here?” I asked.

“I come out late, I needed a walk, pick a reason,” she shrugged. 

“I’m glad I get to see you again,” I said honestly, before feeling my cheeks going slightly red realizing what I had admitted. Not cool Hollis! Play it smooth.

“You too cupcake,” she drawled back still smirking. Aw phew that’s a relief. “Heading home?”

“I guess so. What are you up to?”

“I was going to walk down into the park, look up at the stars.” she said wistfully.

“Really? Why?”

“Why? Well I’m new here, and places change but the night sky is the same wherever you go, no matter how old you get,” she replied examining my face for my response. I nodded.

“That makes a lot of sense… Wait how old are you?”

“That’s very rude,” she said the smirk returning. 

“Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to offend…” 

“I wasn’t being serious sweetie.” 

“Oh.”

“Wanna walk with me?”

“The park can be dangerous,” I said without thinking.

“Everywhere I am is dangerous, not for me but still. Don’t worry I’ll protect you from the things that go bump in the night.”

“Great I’d love to!” I perked up. This couldn’t have worked out better. 

We walked in silence towards the entrance from the high street to the park. There was an illuminated path with old fashioned street lights lining it. The grass was pitch black, but I could see further than I thought I should be able to into the dark. Is that the blood? We strolled down the path.

“Does your blood do stuff?”

“It keeps me alive,” she replied flatly.

“I mean I feel different.”

“I know what you meant. Yeah you’ll feel a little stronger, a little more perspective for a few days at least,” she explained casually. “It’s better than being dead I suppose.” 

“Thanks again, I really can’t thank you enough I…”

“It’s ok,” she interrupted me holding a hand for quiet. 

“Still though.”

“Do you know the constellations?”

“Not really? I know Orion’s Belt and the Bear? Is that one?”

She stopped suddenly and put her cold finger under my chin and lifted my face to the sky.

“See that formation there?” She traced a shape in the stars, I nodded. “That’s Ophiuchus and there under it the triangle with two lines jotting out?”

“Yeah, the stars are clearer than ever before,” I said full of wonder.

“Well that’s Libra. Also the effect of my blood. I can see things up there you can’t imagine. Every star, planet and quasar a telescope could detect.”

“Really?”

“Why would I make that up?”

“I… Well… That’s cool.” Real smooth Hollis.

“Yes it’s very… Cool,” she dragged the word out sarcastically. She went to point out every constellation she knew I could see. “Finally up there is Aquila.”

“There’s a BBC show called Aquila,” I added happily. Oh wait no, she doesn’t care.

“I don’t care.” There it is. 

“I know you don’t.”

We continued down the path towards the river where the starry sky was reflected in the shimmering surface. She picked up a rock from the Earth and skimmed it nearly 15 times across the surface shattering the sky.

“I could never figure out how to do that…” I admitted in awe of how many times it jumped.

“Want me to teach you?”

“Yeah, thanks!” 

“With my blood in your body you might not be a complete spas.” 

Oh nice. She picked up a few of rocks and stood behind me and placed the rock into my hand. Her skin was cool to the touch but I felt a spark from her fingers to my palm. She placed her other hand on my waist and the other around the wrist of the hand holding the stone. She turned my torso a fraction sideways and whipped my hand for me and the rock bounced 3 times over the water. 

I literally jumped for joy. Yay. I did it. Well she did it using my body but still I still did it. 

“That was shit.”

“It skimmed!” I declared happily looking up over my shoulder at her face. She was smirking and I could see the tips of her canines poking out. I couldn’t help myself I reached up to pull her lip up.

“Don’t do that,” she slapped my hand down.

“Sorry, I just… I just.. Sorry.”

“You wanted to see my fangs?”

“Pretty much,” I admitted bashfully scrapping my foot back on the floor bashfully. She rolled her eyes and sighed and opened her mouth at one side to reveal the longer tooth I saw the night before. I leapt back with surprise when it detracted to about an inch and shot back up to how it was originally.

“Happy now?”

I nodded excitedly, bobbing my head really fast like a happy child. She smiled at that. I tried to skim a few more rocks while she mocked me until she managed to get more bounces than I could count. Eventually I did yawn, trying to stifle and hide it but she saw. If she could see stars light years away why would I think I could hide a yawn from a foot away?

“Sleepy?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded, yawning again and rubbing at my eyes. She smiled again.

“I’ll walk you home, make sure you don’t get fucked up.”

“Tha-yawn-nks,” I managed to get out. “I’m a sleepy sheep.”

“A sleepy sheep?” She said disdainfully.

“It’s something my dad sai… Nevermind.” 

“Come on.”

She walked me back to my apartment while mocking me for being tired. 

“This is me,” I announced outside the door.

“Well cutie I’ll see you around.”

“Will you?”

“You want some commitment?” She asked with a smirk and cocked eyebrow.

“Nevermind.”

“Uhh, fine give me your phone.”

I handed over the ten year old brick I was temporarily using and her fingers moved in superspeed and passed it back in a flash.

“There’s my number.”

“Thanks I'll text you!”

“I’m counting on it cupcake, goodnight,” she turned to leave as I plucked my key from my pocket and put it in the lock. 

“Wait one more thing,” I called out to her and she turned back to face me. “Can you fly?”

She shook her head and turned back to walk off into the night.

I guess the jury is out on that still.


	3. T H R E E

Another restless night, another dream of Carmilla, this time at least she wasn’t trying to devour me. I wouldn’t call it a romantic dream, but I woke smiling before failing to get back to sleep. 

I went to work, I only had the afternoon shift on Sundays and it tended to be just families having ‘authentic pub food,’ which entailed stealing a British pub’s menu and trying to copy it. SJ and Betty weren’t in, they needed to recover from two nights in a row. Danny doubled up as server and bartender while I bussed tables. It was boring but I was home by 8. 

Should I text Carmilla? I guess it wouldn’t be overly eager to tell her it was my number.

Laura: Hey this is Laura thought id let you know my number x

Two xs? no one, don’t want to be overly familiar. 

No response. Well no immediate response. Are vampires proficient with technology? I have no idea how old she is. If you were born in the medieval era you might not be great at iMessaging. You might understand how to till a field or form a shield wall but Skype was new. That’s it I convinced myself.

All my thoughts seemed to be dominated by her, and I kept zoning in and out of conversations at dinner with Laf and Perry. It was outdated but Perry insisted we sat down and ate on Sunday as a house.

I tried to get an early night’s sleep. My dreams weren’t as vivid as the last couple nights, and I was able to get far more sleep. I did wake feeling active but my hearing wasn’t reaching as far, my muscles were a bit sore and cramped as I rolled from bed. Breakfast didn’t taste as potent nor as complex. I tried to eat a variety, attempting to recapture the taste I had on Saturday morning but I could find it.

I wandered to the bus stop to take the short journey into college. I felt a bit itchy and uncomfortable, I couldn’t settle myself at all. I tried to walk around the entrance area a bit but felt I needed to sit then was restless and needed to stand. What was wrong with me?!

I sat down with my head in my hands trying to right myself. What’s wrong with me? Maybe I’m getting the flu. Or picked up a bug from the bar, there was a lot of different people coming and going. Deep breathes. Find your centre. What the hell was that? The overcast sun felt too bright and I shifted from one side of the bench to the shaded half. 

I turned to see a group of people marching in unison together with placards. Not today, why now ah. 

‘Down with fangs!’ Was scrawled on one the closest board I could read, and there were lots of crucifixes. Oh no good god it was some anti-vampire christian group wasn’t it. One of them walked out of the group to roughly shove a pamphlet into my hand. 

“Educate yourself about the devils amongst us!” A shrill, earnest girl yelled at me. 

‘HELL IS EMPTY,  
THE DEVILS ARE AMONGST US!  
UNITE,  
AGAINST EVIL!’

I considered throwing it on the ground but I hate littering so I pushed it into my satchel. 

“Hey nerd bro,” Kirsch greeted me walking over to me casually with his goofy, good natured swagger.

“Morning.”

“You look rough bro, hard night?”

“Think I might be sick.”

“That sucks man,” he said, if I didn’t know him he would sound like a sarcastic ass. “What’s up with the chanting?” He asked looking up at the collection of protesters. “Did we win at football? Finally?!” His eyes lit up.

“No, they’re protesting vampires, trying to whip up hate,” I said raising my head from my hands. 

“Oh right, hey at least they don’t hate you anymore!” 

“What?”

“They can’t hate the gay bros if they hate the dead bros!” He grinned at me, I had to return the smile. Every cloud I suppose and I thought I was a naturally positive person, I don’t think ever even seen him upset or down in the dumps. 

“Yeah I guess I should be thankful for that,” I mumbled.

“You look like totally ill bro, you’re all pale, no offense just thought you’d wanna know,” he said looking at me concerned. 

“I think I’ll be ok,” I mumbled again.

“Ok bro, let me know if you’re all sick and stuff and I’ll give you a ride home I’m just studying today, no lectures.”

“Thanks Kirsch that’s really sweet of you,” I smiled weakly. He nodded to be and bounded off like the giant puppy he is. 

I stumbled off my to lectures and sat at the back of the auditorium, something I never usually did and completely zoned out for my English class. I couldn’t tell anyone a word that was said if there was a gun to my head. I managed to get back to the outside of the building where I sat on a bench near the entrance to the main University building head buried in my hands. I want to this end. There was more commotion, some liberal group was screaming at the anti-vampire group and I could barely hear them as vocal as they must have been.

“Hey little bro,” Kirsch appeared again in the same spot and pulled me up by the elbow, “come on let’s get you home.” He lead me to his car got me in the passenger seat and drove me home in silence. I lost track of time of where I was or time passing next thing I knew Perry was pulling my covers over me. I was in my bed and she was pushing a hot cup of cocoa into my hands.

“Drink Laur, warm liquids help,” she said kindly.

“Yeah L you need to keep your fluid levels up,” Laf’s disconnected voice floated through my growing fever. I did as I was bid and sipped the warm drink not tasting it before crashing back onto my pillows.

Flashes of Carmilla’s face floated of my eyes with a white light behind her, while snapping disembodied jaws tried to chase me through oblivion. I tried to wave them away and they took the form of smoke pushing apart before reforming larger and more terrifying than before. They were joined by deformed people, holding the anti-vampire placards screaming ‘vampire’s whore,’ at me as I tried to flee but I couldn’t run the ground was like moving in knee high water and fell to realize it was crimson blood and it was rising, pulling me under.

“Fuck!” I shouted leaping upright. I was in my bed and it was soaked with sweat. What time was it? 

I looked at my crappy old phone and saw it was 02:34, I didn’t know when I went to sleep but I felt alert. I opened my window wide and let the cool night air wash over me. It refreshed me completely and I leant out over the sill and took in as much of the evening as I could. 

I flopped back onto the bed and threw off my sheets and rolled into the cold parts of the mattress arching my spine reveling in the sensation of the icy feeling. I removed my jeans and top so I was just in my underwear. I had slept fully clothed by the looks of it. It was almost exciting to freeze. I ran my chilled hand up and down my bare stomach and the tops of my thighs.

Buzz.

Christ, I jumped out of my skin, I turned to see my cheap phone had lit up. 

Carmilla: I’m not one for compliments but your bar isn’t nearly as friendly without you there cutie.

My heart and stomach did a somersault of joy seeing her name flashing up.

Laura: I only work fri-sat x

Nothing, still nothing. Oh screw it.

Laura: What’s up x

Carmilla: Killing orphans and draining their blood.

Laura: lol x

Carmilla: You think I’m joking?

Laura: Yup x

Carmilla: Isn’t it a bit late for you to be up on a school night?

I could almost feel her sarcastic tone dripping through the screen. 

Laura: I just woke up x

Laura: been feeling shitty all day x

Carmilla: awwww and here I was going to ask if you want to do something tomorrow but you’re all poorly. 

Laura: no that’s fine x

I replied excitedly before I could ever mull over how pathetically eager that would look. Oh well. 

Carmilla: I’ll come get you then. See you tomorrow I have to get back to business. I think some of the orphans are hiding under the floorboards.

Laura: looking forward to it xxx 

YAY. I jumped off the bed and punched the air. The shitty feeling I had all day was completely gone, replaced will pure elation. She liked me I thought happily. She acts all mysterious but she likes me. 

I couldn’t sleep. I must have slept all day. I killed time online and watching crappy tv shows until I heard Laf and Perry moving around outside. It was about 8am. I didn’t have class today, normally I would go into the library but I felt weak all of a sudden again. 

This was a weird type of flu. I had to shut my blinds and that made me feel a lot better. I crawled under the sheets. The dark was peaceful. I lay under the blankets and rested. I was tired all of a sudden. Just rest my eyes.

Oh shit I was sleeping. I was asleep, I jumped up it was 5.30pm now. I slept all day. I suppose I’d be awake late and wouldn’t yawn in front of Carmilla now. I didn’t feel sick anymore either. Just needed some rest obviously. The sun was beginning to make its descent. I got up and went to the kitchen. I wasn’t hungry. I hadn’t eaten since Sunday but I still don’t want food. 

I was still in my underwear but Laf and Perry wouldn’t be back until later so it was freeing to cool down in the drafty hall. I would never have the urge to walk around naked or anything but I felt liberated in the cold. I strolled into the shower room and turned it on to wash and shave my legs and shampoo my hair. Try to look my best without looking like I’ve tried hard was the goal.

In the mirror with the towel wrapped around me I brushed all the knots from my conditioned hair. I went into the bedroom and blowdried my hair. I put on a white bra and panties and a v-neck white blouse and blue turnup jeans with converse sneakers. 

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and went to the kitchen table with my laptop to make hot chocolate. If I couldn’t eat I guess I should have some calories. I wonder if vampires eat food too? I tried to google some information but a lot of it was weird occult worship or contradictory hear say. 

“Hey L,” Laf greeted me as they and Perry came into the apartment with brown paper bags stuffed with groceries. “It’s your turn next to get this stuff.” They plonked them down on the counter top and took out a new tub of organic whole foods hot chocolate powder. 

“Thanks dude!” I said cheerily. 

“You feeling better honey?” Perry asked sympathetically smiling down at me. 

“Yeah I slept all day.”

“You’ve been working too hard, you go to the bar then school and you never take time for yourself,” Perry said.

“I guess so.”

“Yeah just rest, I’ll tell your lecturer you’re ill tomorrow.” 

“Thanks Laf!” 

“We’re going to the movies tonight, you stay rest, have the place to yourself.”

“Will do,” I lied. 

“You look nice,” Perry commented. 

“Do I?” I pretended to be unaware of the effort I made for appearance. 

“Don’t fish for compliments L,” Laf punched my arm lightly. 

I smiled broadly at them cocking my head side to side. 

“I’ll put these away,” I offered motioning to the groceries, “you two get ready for your little date night.”

“Thanks L.”

“Yeah thanks a lot. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“Don’t stress out so much Perr-bear, she offered let’s get ready.” 

They got up and went to their shared room and I put away the food. I heated milk up on the stove to make proper hot chocolate. It will be yummy! A rare treat. If I don’t need to eat food I might as well put the extra time and effort into my drink. 

I watched an old episode of BBC show Aquila, having been reminded by of it the other night. It was fun for all ages! While I sipped my beverage. 

“See you later L,” Laf said as they left the apartment together with a cheery wave. 

“Bye bye!” I replied. I went to grab my shitty little phone. Nothing. Was she just going to swing by? I don’t like loose plans, I need things to be structured and planned but it was probably not the best idea to badger a vampire of indeterminate age. It was 7.45 and darkening but there was still a distant glimmer of light behind the clouds. Did they catch on fire in sunlight? I’m guessing that they don’t spontaneously combust… Or maybe they did. Google was no help. 

8 o’clock passed and it almost got to 9 when the buzzer to the flat went off. I jumped out my seat. I’m easily startled. I shut my laptop lid and went to look at the monitor next to the phone to allow entry. Carmilla was just staring into the camera with a smirk. I picked up the phone and clicked the button to open the door.

“Hey come on up!”

“You need to invite me in,” she replied through the intercom. 

“Really?”

“No I’m standing out here for fun.”

“Please come in.”

She sighed.

“Say my name and invite me in.”

“Carmilla, please come into my home,” I said formally.

“There we go.”

The camera went dead and I opened the inner door. 

“Hey there cutie,” came her voice from behind me.

I span on my heel and she was leaning against the countertop next to the sink. I looked at the door then her then the door then her again. Oookay. I closed the door.

“Did you teleport?”

“Ha, no I moved quickly.”

“Oh ok, do you want something to drink.”

“Got any of that artificial blood?”

“Erm no,” I replied, damnit why didn’t I think of that! Poor hosting Hollis. “Do you eat anything else?”

“No actually.”

“Ah. You look nice, I see you have a color theme,” I said.

“I like black,” she shrugged. “You look adorable, like a provincial girl trying to act grown up. Did you wear that shirt to give me easier access to your neck?” She beckoned to me and I walked trance like towards her. She gently took hold of my ponytail and pulled it over my exposed neck and ran her fingers through my hair, I shivered under her touch. 

“Thanks,” I said with a half shrug and wide smile, she shook her head.  
All the flu symptoms had completely left me. 

She looked at me expectantly I just gave her a wide toothy grin, and she cracked a smile and shook her head again slowly. I couldn’t help but stare at the pointed tips of her canines. “Sooooo….”

“So?”

“Whatcha wanna do?” I asked. Her hand was still entwined in my ponytail. 

“What do you want to do?”

“Anything…” I shrugged. “We could… er, we could go kill some orphans?” 

She grinned at me. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” she suggested. 

“Sure, let me grab a jacket.”

I retrieved a thin coat and threw it over my shoulders and we left the apartment together into the cool night air. 

“There were some anti-vampire protesters gathering at school the other day,” I told her, trying to kickstart the conversation. 

“So…”

“Doesn’t that worry you?”

“Why would it? A bunch of losers whining about me existing? What can they actually do?”

“Haven’t those sorts of people attacked and killed some vampires? I’ve heard that on the news…”

“Sure, but the people who want to kill you don’t organize and make signs and chant they just do it. Those are attention seekers trying to show everyone who is like minded how holy than thou they are and want to hate people who disagree. I’m guessing there are pro-groups too?”

“Uh-huh.”

“They don’t really care about me at all, they just want everyone to know how tolerant they are and again to hate those who disagree with them. I’m immaterial in the debate.” 

“I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Are there any vampires in the pro-vampire collective?”

“No…”

“I doubt they know any either. It isn’t like civil rights campaigners, they’re not changing anything, they’re arguing for the sake of it. It’s enjoying tribal mentality, nothing more.”

“I guess.”

“I’ve been around for a while, people repeat themselves and behaviors are easy to read.”

“How ol…”

“Don’t.”

“Fine,” I humphed, folding my arms and pouting. 

“Oh cheer up you little baby.” 

“I’m not a little baby!”

“Awww,” she looped her arm into the crook of my folded elbow and dragged me into step with her pace. “Cheer up idiot.”

I rested my head on her shoulder as we walked before realizing what I was doing and jolted up. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

“For what?”

“Nothing…”

“You’re sorry for nothing?”

“Erm, ah well… I…”

“You’re not even fun to tease, stop being so timid.”

“Fine! I’ll stop being so timid, how old are you?”

“I’ll tell you that when I get to know you a little better.”

“So you want to get to know me a little better?” I chirped.

“Well obviously otherwise I wouldn’t have met up with you tonight.”

We meandered onto a bridge which crossed the river in the centre of town, it apparently looked like an Amsterdam crossing but I doubted that. She stopped us both and unlinked her arm from mine and placed her hands over the railings of bridge looking into the water. I joined her.

“You like the water as well as stars?”

“Sure, it’s eternal,” she said wistfully. 

“It’s mystic,” I said putting on a stoner voice, “it’s like flowing man and it’s eternal and it’s forever duuuude, it totally lives forever.”

“Stop it.”

“It’s like life maaaaan, it’s part of me and us and the universe it flows and I like flow with it duuuude, stars are like part of it maa…. woah,” I shrieked like a child as she lifted me up the lapels of my jacket and placed me onto the railing and leant me back over the river.

“Going to stop now?”

“Or you’ll drop me?” I asked. She nodded, she was maintaining eye contact almost daring me. “Ok, ok, ok.” She pulled me back up so I was sitting on the rail still holding onto me.

“Good thinking, this river is pretty deep.”

“Deep like you maaaaaan,” I mocked and she went to lean me back again. “Ahhh no, no, no Carm sorry.” 

She pulled me back and with the momentum I fell off the rail and all of a sudden there we were; face to face inches apart. We just stood there, I was transfixed by her dark, piercing eyes. She reached up with one of her pale hands and brushed my hairs which had fallen loose out of my ponytail from being picked up and flung about and brushed them back behind my ear. Oh this was a moment. 

She began to lean in and I followed her lead closing my eyes. Our lips met and I shuddered, a bolt of electricity ran down my spine to my extremities. Her mouth was cold but definitely not unpleasant. I pressed my face into hers, trying to get as much of her as I could. She snaked her arm round my back and pushed her knee between my legs. I moaned softly into her mouth and I could feel her smirk against my lips.

The kiss became more frantic as her lips parted and I tentatively pushed out my tongue and she responded with her own. My stomach was knotting and I ground my pelvis against her thigh moaning softly again. Her cold hand reached under my jacket and blouse and she ran her nails down my lower back and the knot in my stomach grew tighter.

There was a dinging noise and a bicycle whizzed by.

“Get a room!” The rider shouted at us as we separated. 

“Fuck,” I mumbled through ragged breaths. Carmilla had turned her head to watch the cyclist speeding off with a scary scowl. She cracked her neck and turned back to look at me. I closed my eyes tightly together, smiled widely and cocked my head to the left. “Hey,” I whispered, I still hadn’t caught my breath. 

“Hey yourself,” she smiled back. I leaned up on my toes to give her a peck on the lips before leaning back on the railings of the bridge.

Buzz. Oh goddammit my phone.

Laf: We’re heading back want any ice cream we’re stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts x

Laura: No thanks x 

“Oh my friends are heading back.”

“So…”

“I told them I was sick.”

She exhaled hard.

“Let’s get you home cutie,” she said and held out her hand which I took as she lead me back to mine. “You working Friday?” She asked when we arrived. 

“Uh-huh,” I nodded.

“What time do you finish?”

“Closing time at 1.”

“See you then.”

“Great!” I smiled she pushed me against my door and kissed me once again I placed my hands either side of her waist digging my nails into her side. She pulled apart abruptly. 

She smiled at me and then disappeared. Just went as if by teleportation. I leant back against the door to catch my breath smiling ear to ear. I put my key in the door and went up to my room and crawled into bed. Tonight was a good night. Now I had to wait three days?! Annoying but doable I suppose. 

Not long after I got in Laf and Perry got back and I pretended to be asleep when one of them cracked the door to see if I was up. 

I closed my eyes and lay there replaying every second of my evening.


	4. F O U R

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward writing is awkward. Sorry.

“Morning L,” Laf called through a mouthful of cheerios. 

“Morning,” I said rubbing my eyes sleepily as I stumbled out into the hall and down to the kitchen. 

“Feeling better now?” Perry asked.

“Yeah back to normal,” I nodded. I had felt rough during the day Wednesday and Thursday, missed school completely but I think now it’s time to get back to work. In both senses. I was meeting Carmilla after work today. There was radio silence on that front, I got my replacement iPhone on Wednesday… I can’t even remember calling the insurance company. Apart from the night out with Carmilla the week up until now seemed like a blur, a haze I couldn’t construct a solid timeline from. 

I mixed coffee with hot chocolate to make a mocha, I don’t normally drink coffee but I had become nocturnal this week and I doubt I even got 4 hours of sleep last night. I kept yawning. Sleepy Laura was sleepy. A sleepy sheep. I needed something to pep me up.

“Are you leaving now?” I asked as Laf shouldered their bag and Perry returned from their bedroom with her stuff.

“Yeah we’re going to the library first.”

“O-ok, see you later.”

“Bye, bye.”

I was ravenous, would it be gross to eat a whole frozen pizza for breakfast? Well no one was around to judge me so screw it. I ate the whole pepperoni pizza in minutes and went for the bus.

When it pulled up I saw the anti-vampire group was out in force. This is going to be a regular thing isn’t it. As I approached the entrance I saw they were spread out and blocking the door. I tried to edge around them.

“You there,” someone vaguely familiar pointed me out. Oh no, no, no.

“Hmm?” I mumbled.

“The time to sit by idly has passed! The creatures of evil have struck out against our community!” She cried. 

“What?”

“The lines have been drawn!”

Another member of the group strode over with purpose, he looked furious. 

“Do you know Natalie?”

“Yeah, yeah the last student body president right?” I asked. I knew her a little bit, she was small asian girl, seemed nice enough but we weren’t friends or anything.

“She’s dead!”

“Dead?” I questioned shocked. 

“Murdered! Her young life snatched away by these demons!” The girl piped back up.

“How do you know?”

“They found her dead! Dead! Her neck punctured and drained of all her blood! They are killing us off! We must unite.”

“Natalie? God, when did that happened?”

“She was found early Tuesday evening in some back alley like an animal, dead, dead!” 

Well it couldn’t have been Carmilla then. Not that she would do that. I don’t think so. Though I could definitely confirm she didn’t kill Natalie. So I didn’t have a crush on a killer. That’s good.

“Can we count on your support?”

“Sure,” I said brushing past them and scurrying into the college. There were more protesters inside shouting and screaming and waving their annoying literature. There were no where near as many of these idiots on Monday, they’re growing like cockroaches. I couldn’t get through the halls to my locker. 

“Excuse me,” I tried but the crowd was growing increasingly raucous and vocal.

Should I even be here?

The tannoy crackled on and announced classes were cancelled today due to the student direct action. Oh great well that was a waste of bus fare. I tried to navigate the slalom of the angry students. Did all these people even go to this college? I got out of the exit and immediately hopped up onto the raised verges of grass either side of the path to avoid them.

Kirsch was talking to Danny in the parking lot and I went over and waved hello.

“Hey Laura,” Danny smiled at me. 

“S’up little nerd bro,” Kirsch said. 

“Hey, this is crazy right?” I said pointing to the madness of the scene unfolding around the school.

“Well, I can kinda see their point,” Danny said tentatively. “There are disappearances and shit now and again you can’t pin it on the bloodsuckers but Natalie was 100% killed by one.”

“Bloodsuckers?!” I said outraged.

“Well come on Laura this isn’t the time for defending correct wording, a girl was used as a piece of food!”

“Do you think it was that sexy vampire that came to the bar last week?!” Kirsch asked.

“Oh the brunette one?”

“No! It wasn’t her,” I piped up and the two tall figures turned to face me confusion.

“How do you know? She was in the bar Friday and Monday, and Natalie was there Monday, maybe she was marking targets?”

“Why would she if she was letting people she her face and drinking artificial blood? That doesn’t seem smart bro,” Kirsch said. I could hug him at saying that.

“Hmmm,” Danny furrowed her brow. “Yeah I suppose so, but she might know who it was.”

“Oh all vampires know each other now do they?” I asked offended on Carmilla’s behalf. 

“Since when are you such a huge vampire rights advocate?” Danny asked. 

“I’m just being fair,” I shrugged lying. 

“Want a lift home bros?” Kirsch offered cutting off the conversation. I wanted to hug him again. 

We both agreed and I got into the back of his truck and he took me off first.

“See you at the bar later,” I said, “thanks for the lift Kirsch!” 

“No problem bro, see you later.”

They sped off. Well that a useful trip to school and back. I got back into the apartment and saw Laf and Perry were already back at the kitchen table. 

“Hey guys,” I said throwing my satchel down as Perry scowled at my mess. I went and sat with them. “School was closed today.”

“You can see why,” Perry said. “People are upset.” 

“Yeah, I normally wouldn’t be one to defend the Christian right but there is a point here.” 

I guess no one would agree with me on this. It may have been a killer who mimicked a vampire killing in order to disguise their murder. 

“I’m going to have a nap before work,” I said yawning, rubbing my eyes and walked to my room. 

“You’re becoming nocturnal L,” Laf called after me.

I set my alarm on my iPhone for 2 hours and had a little snooze. Beep, beep, beep, beep.

I hate my alarm noise, I should change it, though I always think that when I wake up and then never ever remember later. I had a shower, washed my hair and blow dried it and placed it in a loose ponytail and put on my bar uniform. A white t-shirt with the bar logo on the breast and black shorts with converse sneakers. 

I got the bus and got into the bar at around 3.30pm. Danny was already there looking through the books, she glanced up and waved at me before returning to work. I went and put on my apron and threw my bag down in the break room. I started the mundanity of setting up places at the tables when SJ and Betty came in together nattering. 

“Hey,” I greeted them from across the bar as I was placing down cutlery. 

“Hey Laura.”

“Hi. Did you guys hear about Natalie?” Betty asked.

“Yeah it’s really sad.”

“She didn’t seem like the type to hang around vamps, I’m surprised Betts didn’t get murdered to be honest,” SJ joked.

“Hey!” She cried out and slapped SJ’s arm. “Don’t even joke about that dude. Besides the last vampire I saw wouldn’t to kill me after what I did for him,” she carried on suggestively.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah if he killed me he would be losing out!”

How they turn a conversation about murder to sex that quickly?! 

They quietened down as they started to work. The first clientele began coming in around 5 o’clock and it was just a standard night to start with. The workmen then the office workers and eventually the students. Oh brilliant, the people from the anti-vampire group arrived en-masse nearly 12 of them by 9.30. They had even mocked up their own t-shirts with a set of fanged teeth crossed out with a red hazard symbol. Idiots, I rolled my eyes at them and muttered. 

They were drinking a lot and really proud of themselves for shutting down the college. We deprived people of education! Aren’t we great! 

“Hey miss,” one called me over, “can we get another two, two?” He looked around the table for confirmation, “yeah two pitchers of beer please?” 

“Of course.” I went filled two large pitchers, jotted down the cost to their table’s tab and placed them down. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, wait hey wait a second, don’t you go to our University?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re holding a memorial service at school at noon Monday for Natalie, get yourself one of these,” he brandished his t-shirt by the collar. “And show up.”

“Ok.” I wasn’t going to that. 

The anti-vampire group grew as more students wearing the stupid t-shirt arrived in singles, duos and trios, joining the increasingly drunk group. Even by midnight they hadn’t left and had managed to convince SJ to put a t-shirt on and drink with them. 

At 12.30 it was basically just the idiot protestors around now when the door flung open and Carmilla strode in. I along with every male in the bar turned to stare. She had black shorts on and thigh high black socks with black sweater and a white collared shirt underneath. Wow.

She surveyed the anti-vampire t-shirts and sneered at them walking slowly past. She moved to the back of the bar and slid into the same booth where she sat last Friday. I went behind the bar and retrieved the A- bottle of artificial blood and went to the kitchen to microwave it. I took it out and returned to the main area, grabbed a tumbler and some straws and took it over to her as the other patrons mumbled and whispered disgruntled. 

“Here you go!” I said happily placing down the tumbler and pouring a measure into it and placed a straw in it. She looked at me with amusement as I, while smiling, bent the straw towards her. 

“You’re an idiot.”

“You need to lighten up so…” I shrugged.

“You thought you’d make my drink a little more fun?”

“Pretty much.”

“How long until you finish?”

“I can wrap up now.”

“Get a drink and join me.”

“Ok.” 

I couldn’t see Danny and SJ and Betty were dealing with the group of anti-vampire idiots so I threw off my apron poured a beer and went back to join her. 

I heard someone mumble ‘disgusting,’ at me behind my back. 

“I don’t think you’re that popular in the bar.”

“Those idiots? Who cares, I came to see you.”

“Some girl was murdered by a vampire.”

“When?”

“When we were out on Tuesday, so I’m your alibi!” I said cheerily. She smirked. 

“I could of sped off and killed her when you busy skipping or distracted by shiny objects.”

“I don’t think you did.”

“No I didn’t.”

“See,” I smiled. Her hand snatched out in superspeed to the side of my head where she was holding a balled up pamphlet which she put down on the table and calmly smoothed out. It was more vampire hatred propaganda. “Did they throw that at me?” I asked with disbelief. 

“Yeah, obviously.” She swiped it onto the floor. 

“Hey! I’ll have to pick that up! Oh and thanks for stopping it hitting me,” I said drinking from my beer glass. “What? What are you smirking at now?”

“You having to use two of your little hands to hold the beer glass.”

“I’m adorable!”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Aaaand add blasphemy to your list of sins.”

“You know if those retards keep glancing over here I might have to rip out their eyes.”

“Don’t do that.”

“What would you do? Write a strongly worded e-mail?”

“Very strongly worded,” I nodded drinking more beer. I polished it off, “need another drink?” Carmilla just shook her head. I walked to the bar and refilled my glass already feeling a little giddy, I tried really hard not to look at the large, drunk group of people who I knew all hated me with a passion right now. A huge group would normally intimidate but Carmilla alone was enough to make me feel really secure and I liked that. I looked over to her and smiled. 

I moved back ignoring the judgements and muttered insults. SJ raised her eyebrows questioningly at me but I ignore her. Danny came round the bar from the back wiping her hands on her apron, Kirsch joined her from the kitchen and they went to the bar to get themselves drinks. Danny was pretty cool about leaving the bar open after official closing times to drink with friends of the staff. 

Carmilla slid over to the corner of the booth and patted the seat next to her rather than opposite. I slid in next to her and she placed her hand around my shoulder and I forgot about the public setting and rested my head on her for a moment before righting myself and picking up my beer. 

“Does blood have any effect on you?” I asked curious. 

“It keeps me alive…”

“Right but does it have an effect like alcohol?”

“If I drank alcohol I would instantly throw it up, same with food.”

“Really? Eww.”

“It tastes like rot.”

“Yucky. I meant like alcohol would on me.”

“I know what you meant. Well yeah, this stuff,” she nudged her tumbler, “is sustenance, it’s practical. If I drank hobo blood it would have little effect if I drank a professional athlete's blood it would be like you having a lobster I guess.”

“Oh ok.”

“It depends when you drink it, if it’s during sex then it heightens the feeling.”

I coughed a little choking a bit on my drink. 

“There’s an artery at the top of the thigh which is perfectly located.”

I sprayed a bit of beer out choking again, why, why did I have another sip. I grabbed her napkin and wiped my chin. 

“Smooth you spas.”

I failed to speak and just made a noise. Before I decided it was finally ok to drink again. I think I could sense the smirk from above. I drank deeply, I was really feeling the beer, the buzz was setting in. I started humming a little moving my head side to side.

“Enjoying yourself there cutie?”

“I feel nice.”

“Poetic.”

I turned my head up to look at her and give a purposefully goofy smile when she pushed me closer to her with her arm around my shoulder and kissed me. Her mouth tasted like copper. I kissed her back, she nipped my bottom lip and I could feel the fangs, I breathed raggedly before pulling back and smiling at her.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

I gulped a deep breath, my heart was drumming a bit faster against my ribs before I realized where I was and I looked over to the bar where Kirsch gave me a big thumbs up before turning back to his drink. Danny was frowning and SJ and Betty just looked struck dumb. I couldn’t bear looking at the anti-vampire group.

“That probably won’t make you too popular with your fellow student group over there,” she growled in a low voice in my ear. 

“Fuck ‘em,” I declared picking up my beer and drinking deeply. 

“Woah feisty little cupcake.” 

I finished my drink. 

“Come on cutie, let’s go,” she said.

“Go where?”

“You wanna stay here?” 

“Fuck no.”

“Ok then let’s go.”

I slid out of the booth and she followed suit. I picked up mine and her glass before walking over to the bar and putting them into the dishwasher.

“I just need to get my stuff from the back,” I told Carmilla who was now leaning on the bar waiting for me.

“Sure thing cutie, I’ll just hang out here with all my new friends,” she drawled sarcastically before turning to lean her back on the bar and look at the anti-vampire group who avoided eye contact and didn’t even speak to one another. They just took nervous sips and cleared their throats. 

I skipped off to the back and grabbed my jacket and bag and went back onto to the stoney, awkward silence of the bar. Not that I cared at all. 

“Ready?” I asked Carmilla who nodded and pushed herself off the bar and took my outstretched hand as we walked out. “See you guys tomorrow.” I turned to wave to the staff.

“See you,” Danny said slowly, still frowning.

“Have fun girls! See you later Laur,” Kirsch called happily. 

“Did he just call me a girl?” Carmilla asked.

“He’s nice.”

“He looks like an idiot.”

“Maybe but he’s a really nice guy.”

“I don’t care, so you what do you want to do?”

“We could go to mine?”

“Oh really?” She asked.

“No, no, no not like that I just meant to hangout, watch a film or something.” 

She sighed dramatically. “Fine.”

“Ok let’s go!” I chirped happily. 

“Are you drunk?”

“No!” I protested, “a little buzzed maybe.”

“That’s adorable.” 

“I’m only small.”

“Two weak beers and you’re all giddy and excitable.”

“Maybe it’s just you?” I said sweetly and shyly. 

“You must be drunk, being overly honest and lovey-dovey.”

“Waah, be nice to me,” I whined and nudged her with my shoulder. 

“Fine, I guess I should considering those idiots at the bar are going to lynch you later.”

“Humph.”

Buzz.

Danny: Hey r u back home safe ? x

Laura: ye we’re almost back x

Danny: r u crazy?!

My phone rang. 

“Hi Danny.”

“Laura? Are you mad, you’re taking a vampire home? What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s fine she’s been there before.”

“What?! The fuck is wrong with you?! Do you want to end up like Nat?!” 

“I know what I’m doing!”

“No you don’t, I’m calling Laf.”

“I don’t? Who the fuck are you to tell me what’s best for me?!”

“Laura I swear if you go back with her…”

“You’ll what?”

“Listen to me I know what’s best here.”

“Fuck off.” 

I hung up and threw my phone into my bag. I was fuming mad, we walked in silence for a while.

“I was planning on killing you know but if it will annoy someone that much I guess I’ll let you live for now,” she broke the silence.

“Thanks,” I smiled, my bad mood evaporating. We got to my apartment and I opened the door, “do I need to invite you in again?”

“No.”

“Oh good,” we walked up the stairs only to find the kitchen lights were on and Laf and Perry were sitting there drinking white wine.

“Hey L, er, who’s your friend?”

“This is Carmilla.”

“Hey,” she waved casually.

“Nice to meet you,” Perry said slowly. 

“What are you still doing up?” I asked.

“Danny called all frantic about how you were going to be murdered,” Perry said, talking in a very steady measured tone.

“Are you the murderer to be?” Laf asked Carmilla grinning.

“I promised no murder tonight.”

“Well good, that’s settled, come on Perr-perr off to bed,” Laf smiled pulling her partner by the arm off. “Nice meeting you.”

“You too,” she replied strutting over to my kitchen table, taking a seat and leant back resting her feet on the table. The angle she was leaning at seemed impossible. I grabbed one of the wine glasses from the sink and uncorked the half bottle of wine and poured myself some. Walking to my bedroom, for once she followed me. 

“Sorry there’s nothing for you too drink…”

“Yes there is, there are three things for me to drink,” she drawled.

“Ohhh I’m Carmilla!” I mimicked her after a large measure of wine, “I’m so dark and mysterious, I might kill you wait is that a star woaaaah dude. I will kill you after I look at the night sky ahhh,” I cried out as she tackled me onto the bed. Somehow she managed to tackle and take my wine glass and place it down on my bedside table. She started to tickle me in superspeed and I thrashed under her, breathless trying to laugh. 

“S-s-s-stop,” I managed and she did.

“Don’t do that spassy impression of me again,” she told me, she was straddling my hips now her hands still pressed into my sides. We both went quiet, she began to lean down using one hand to push her hair behind her neck and captured my lips in a slow kiss. I moved my hands to place them on her hips. Her skin was smooth, ivory and taught. I raked my nails as lightly as I could, barely touching over her protruding hip bones. She made a purring noise and leant fully over me her hair spilling over the top of her face. 

I kept my nails grazing and tracing up and down patterns on her abdomen over her shirt. She gave me a hint of a kiss, her lips brushing against mine, a pressure started building and knotting in my stomach. Our lips touched and parted several times before she locked with my mouth and her left hand came to prop her weight up on my waist her other curled up in the pillows above me. 

The moments between parting and connecting our lips became more infrequent as our kiss deepened and grew more intense. Her tongue pushing out to coax mine to meet hers. Her hand moved from my waist and with a single nail she trailed a line from the top of my throat, mirroring my grazing touch, down the centre of my neck. The tension was growing inside my core. 

She pulled back and in one swift motion pulled my shirt off and tossed it aside, she propped herself on her knees and in one motion had my shorts off too. My breath was ragged as she leant back over me. 

Her finger ran down my collarbone and snapped the material and wire at the centre of my bra continuing until my belly button and started to trace back up. It was hard to concentrate on her tongue and her hand and trying to keep my touch going. 

I actually moaned into her mouth just at the light caress of the back of her finger ran against the exposed top of my right breast. The tension in my the core of my being was igniting and I pushed my face into hers trying to get as close as possible. Forgetting myself I moved my hands to grasp at her waist and then around her back, ruining my nails down her back tentatively and coming to rest on the curve of ass. 

She purred again, encouraging me to cup and squeeze the soft yet toned flesh through her shorts. The purr reverberated through my lips and into my mouth. She nipped at my lip, pulling my bottom lip back with her pointed teeth before recapturing them in a sloppy kiss.

Her hand slipped underneath the cup of my bra to grasp my bare skin. She rolled my left nipple between two fingers and massaged the sensitive flesh. She pulled her face back and smiled like a predator as she lowered herself down my body, pulling my underwear down, I lifted my knees to help her and she threw them away and kissed my inner thigh softly.  
My breath came out hard and broken as she trailed kisses up my inner leg and raked her nails lightly up from calf to pelvis the other side of her mouth. I had to stifle a scream when she encased me and sucked and licked. My leg started to tremble as her tongue moved in vampiric speed over my clit, in seconds I was finished but she didn’t let up, she slid a finger into my folds as her tongue kept moving against the sensitive bud. I came over and over, thrashing my head side to side and crying out despite my best efforts to keep it in, her fingers pumped in and out and I kicked my legs out. 

She moved her head, keeping her fingers in me she kissed a trail up my stomach and body. I was trembling uncontrollably through my legs. I propped my head up and leant into her kiss. I could feel fully elongated fangs when I ran my tongue into her mouth. I was close to finishing again and fuck it. I pushed her face away from me, making eye contact I turned my head to the side.

“Do it,” I breathed out heavily. She growled, an animal’s growl and pushed her head into my neck and pierced my throat. It didn’t hurt, it just added to the feeling and I came the hardest of I have no idea how many times that night. She pulled back and snarled shaking her head side to side like a roaring lion, I pulled her in by the collar of her shirt only becoming aware then that she was fully clothed. I could taste my own coppery blood in her mouth. I really like it.

I started to pull the hem of her shirt up and she growled again.

I woke up feeling amazing, it was a rare feeling to make someone that powerful moan and despite not having much experience with sex now knew what Betty was talking about when she talked about how amazing a vampire could be. Carmilla did have to leave after, something about not wanting to burn alive at dawn. I was half asleep, worn out when I heard the door slam when she left.

I was humming and had a skip in my step as I ate a slice of toast and got ready for school. I examined my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I had two very obvious bite marks on my neck. I tried to cover them with my hair, but if you looked you could see them. 

Laf and Perry had already left, so I had a peaceful apartment to get ready in, I slung the books I needed into my bag and went to the bus stop. When I got to school people were giving me dirty looks and whispering, I tried to pull my hair over my shoulder to cover the marks. I went into the college and went to my locker, what the hell?!

It had been vandalized.

‘Vampire’s WHORE!’ 

I turned to see everyone staring at me.


	5. F I V E

‘Vampire’s WHORE.’

I re-read over it and over and I started shaking, I wanted to cry. My body shivered with a tremor as someone threw a scrunched anti-vampire pamphlet at the back of my head. I couldn’t turn around, I couldn’t bear turning to face them. I felt a hand on my arm and I shot round to see Kisch, phew, a friendly face. He looked furious. 

“Come on let’s get you out of here bro,” he said steering me by the arm through the crowd of evil stares. He took me into an abandoned stairwell and breathed out heavily as he let go of my arm and turned to face me. “Pretty heavy shit dude, sorry you had to go through that little bro.”

“Thanks Kirsch,” my voice broke as it came out and I started to cry. He lead me to the stairs and sat me down. “What h-h-h-happened?”

“Well David, he’s the head of those protestor idiots, he saw you kissing that sexy vamp at the bar and leave with her, then Danny was ranting about how you were going to die, that you were taking her home with you and I guess he told every single person he could manage.”

“Shit.”

“No judgement here little bro, but those two marks on your neck,” he pointed, “aren’t really helping you, sympathetically and that.” 

“Danny ratted me out?”

“Well she was furious you didn’t listen to her, you know how she is and she went on a huge rant in front of those idiots.”

“Jesus.”

“I still got your back bro,” he smiled down at me squeezing my shoulder. I placed my hand over his.

“Thanks.”

“Seriously though, you’re gay and banging vamps, honestly bro how pissed is your dad?”

I laughed at that. I loved Kirsch he always cheered me up. 

“Want me to take you home?”

I wiped my eyes and shook my head.

“No, no I’ll go to class.”

“You sure?” 

I nodded again.

“Alright little bro, text me if you need a ride back, you know if it gets too much. Tell me if anyone gives you any shit and I’ll punch them in the face.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

He helped me up and I wiped my eyes again and walked out of the stairwell door he held open for me. 

Ok deep breath. I rounded my shoulders and walked with as much pride as I could muster to Journalism class. The seminar leader was already speaking, I was late, the whole room felt like the oxygen was sucked out as I walked in. Great. Did literally everyone know? The silence was deafening as I walked up to the top of the auditorium and slid into a seat in an empty patch of the class. 

“Right, anyway,” the seminar leader said clapping her hands together and getting back to the lecture. It was probably a smart move to sit right at the back where no one could throw anything at me. It was pretty horrible to go from just some girl who blended into the background to the centre of the gossip mill. 

I drifted in and out of the talk, I had a hard time paying attention and every time I looked away from the front of the class there at least one or two people looking at me. You know what? Fuck them all. I reached into my satchel and took out a hairband and pulled my hair into a ponytail letting the purple and red fang punctures in my neck be on display. I actually heard a gasp and a mumble spread through the room as I felt eyes fixing on me.

The hour passed and we were dismissed I ignored everyone walking out.

“Fuckin’ whore!” 

Some faceless person yelled from behind me. I saw Laf and Perry talking in depth looking at some notes and I moved over to them. I needed some friends right now.

“Hey guys.”

“Hey L,” Laf said, their face was scrunched up sympathetically, “you holding up alright?”

“I guess.”

“You could try to cover that Laur,” Perry said pointing to the bite marks. 

“Why? I’m not ashamed.”

“Good for you L!” 

“You know they’re holding that memorial for Nat now?” 

“I’m probably not welcome,” I said quietly.

“Yeah probably not… Wanna get some lunch then?”

“Sure.”

We walked through the halls, more and more of the dam anti-vampire t-shirts were cropping up any over the place. Perry and Laf walked either side of me, essentially shielding me from the waves of hatred emitting from our fellow students. We left the campus and went to small independent coffee shop near the college.

“Sit L, I’ll get it. Hot chocolate?”

“Uh-huh, and a ham and cheese panini please,” I asked.

“Sure thing.”

I went and got a table with two sofas either side of it facing each other while Perry and Laf went to get the food and drink. They returned and sat next to each other facing me.

“So… Look fuck it I’m just going to ask,” Laf said, “how was it?”

“What?”

“With Carmilla,” she clarified. 

“Oh, the sex or the biting?”

“What are we restrained for time, everything L.” 

“Ok, ok, ok, it was amazing! You know she can move in superspeed?”

“Well I guess I do know.”

“Well every part of her can move in superspeed, plus she doesn’t have to breathe.”

“La-la-la-la-la,” Perry hummed putting her fingers in her ears. Laf smirked at her.

“I think I understand, you can stop doing that Perr,” they said yanking her partner’s arm down. “Did that hurt?” They asked motioning to the marks. 

“Yeah, wait no, not at all, it felt good.”

“It felt good?” Perry piped up incredulously. 

“Yeah she bit me as I was finishing…” I started as Perry started to put her fingers up to block her ears again. “Calm down Perr, it just added to it. I can’t really describe it, I’ve never felt like anything like it before. It felt like we were connected in the most intimate way possible.”

“Right, well I’m glad you enjoyed it, Perry was all worried she’d kill you.”

“Well after Natalie you know…”

“She didn’t kill Natalie I was with her when that happened!”

“I thought you were home sick on Tuesday?” Laf asked.

“Eh,” I shrugged holding my palms upwards and shrugging. 

“Oh L, sneaking off with a vampire eh?”

“Eh,” I repeated shrugging bashfully. 

“So you like her huh? I can’t imagine you going for a vampire just for the vampire experience,” Perry asked.

“Yeah I do,” I smiled genuinely.

“Well then I’m happy for you,” Perry nodded reassuring, “and this stuff at college, it’ll die down. You know how people get riled up and then move on to the next thing to be furious about.”

“She’s gorgeous too,” Laf said.

“I know right!”

“How old is she?”

“I have no idea, she won’t tell me,” I admitted.

“What if she’s like 2000 years old?” Perry asked.

“I doubt it.”

“Based on what?”

“I don’t know I just doubt it.”

“She looks a little renaissance, maybe she’s 500 tops,” Laf joined in.

“Does it matter?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t know if it does or not.”

“It’s just interesting,” Laf said intently. 

“But she won’t tell me!” I whined.

It made me forget everything and cheered me up immensely to hang out with my friends and have a chat. All the people who hated my guts were all in one place so it was peaceful in the coffee shop. 

The second lecture wasn’t as well attended as the first but I felt like an outsider, I normally sat with some casual friends but when they entered as a group they shot me a dirty look and moved to the other side of the room. Great, I’m a social leper. 

I scribbled some notes and daydreamed of Carmilla, just waiting for this horrible day to end. I needed to return some stuff to my locker but I couldn’t face looking at that graffiti again. It was too depressing. Class ended and I went to the bus stop when I was blindsided by Danny. 

“Laura! Look I’m sorry about Saturday and look I... “ She stopped frowning and grabbed my chin and jerked my face to the side to look at my neck. “What the actual fuck?!”

“Hey, don’t touch me,” I cried, pushing her arm away with a shove.

“You let it bite you?! Are you fucking crazy?”

A crowd was starting to hover to listen.

“It? You’re calling her it? Oh great apology. Laf and Perry are supportive even Kirsch is!”

“Well they don’t know what is best for you!”

“There you go again!” I was shouting too now. “Telling me what decisions to make!”

“You idiot! How can you not see this? She’s using you as a juice box! You think that’s normal?!”

“I asked her to do it, yeah that’s right I asked her to bite me and you know what I loved it!” I actually heard gasps from the hovering crowd. Oh good I was in the middle of a Jeremy Springer episode. 

“You know what?!”

“What?!”

“Come on, come on,” Kirsch appeared and lead me off by the arm. “Come on Laura, I’ll give you a ride.” 

“What the fuck is wrong with her?” I cried out, “she’s being a bitch.”

“She has a crush on you,” he explained.

“Still? I thought she had a crush on you?” I said. He grinned.

“Well obviously, she is a woman, you can have more than one crush.”

“Still though, she can’t talk to me like in front of everyone like that! While everyone is talking shit about me as it is.” 

“I know dude, that was fucked up. She’s angry.”

“No shit.” 

We got into his truck and he took off. 

“Maybe you should wear a collared shirt tomorrow Laur,” he suggested.

“Why I’m not ashamed.”

“Fair enough.”

He dropped me off and wished me the best. I went into my room and finally broke down and cried and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. Today sucked. The next day wasn’t too much fun either, nor the next or the next. By the time Friday rolled around I was exhausted of the constant judgment and nasty looks and comments. Luckily after the humiliating confrontation with Danny on Monday no one actually tried to accost me. 

I was dreading going to the bar. I wondered if I could volunteer to help in the kitchen and just hide with Kirsch. Danny wasn’t there when I arrived. Weirdly SJ and Betty were already hanging about. Early for once.

“Hey guys,” I waved walking over to the bar and grabbing a glass of water.

“Hey ladykiller,” SJ smirked.

“I told you,” Betty said.

“Told me what?”

“How fucking great fucking a vamp is?”

“Oh yeah it’s pretty good,” I admitted sheepishly. 

“Told ya!” Betty said happily nudging SJ. “I was always too scared to let them bite me, how does it feel?”

“Amazing.”

“Oh really? Maybe I will next time… Though not on my neck, I wouldn’t want to have the week you did.”

“Yeah people hate you Laura, they think you fucked a killer.” 

“Oh thanks,” I spat.

“Sorry, sorry, I don’t think you did, but you know it was pretty horrible, the shit people were saying about you,” Betty continued. 

“Can we drop it my week was so awful.” 

“Sure thing.”

“Good news though,” SJ perked up, “Danny is off tonight, so you won’t have to awkwardly shuffle around each other.”

“That is good actually. I was dreading facing her tonight.”

“Everyone heard your argument in college this week, or heard abou itt.”

“Great,” I sighed. “Right,” I exhaled hard, “time to work.”

“We already set up all the tables,” SJ said.

“Oh, oh ok.”

The night went without incident, the tips were a bit light on my side, especially compared to SJ and Betty’s. I’m a leper everywhere aren’t I? Luckily none of the anti-vampire protestor types showed up, the students who did, didn’t look at me and muttered their orders. Everyone had left before closing time for once and I offered to close up so the other guys could leave. 

I was shutting down the neon sign outside when a screeching car whizzed up. “Vampire’s whore.” Someone screamed and I turned to tell them to fuck off when a beer bottle caught me in the side of the head. Things went black for a moment and I fell back against the front of the building. I felt the warm blood rolling down my face and I managed to crawl on my hands and knees back into the bar where I almost collapsed. 

The pain was unbearable, I could barely stay conscious, I tried to get my phone out to call for help but my blood fell onto the screen making it unuseable. The door almost flew off it’s hinges and I raised a hand in front of my face fearing another attack. It was Carmilla. She looked furious.

“Cutie?”

“Help,” I managed to cough out. 

She slammed the door and scooped me up in her arms and placed me down onto of a table. She pulled back her sleeve and put her wrist to her mouth and then lowered it to my mouth. 

“Drink cupcake,” she said quietly. 

I suckled from her wrist and felt better immediately. The pain in my head was disappearing.

“You get away from her!” A voice came from the door. I sat up and saw Danny marching over with a purpose, Carmilla withdrew her arm and turned to pick the tall redhead by the throat and threw her back onto her ass.

I sat up, broken glass fell from my head, my healing skull was pushing embedded pieces out of it. I felt amazing, I jumped off the table and kissed Carmilla on the cheek, “thank you,” I whispered.

“Laura?!” Danny cried out, getting up. “What happened? Did she do this to you?”

“She saved me!” I replied.

“Some delightful students threw a bottle at her,” Carmilla drawled, “sad you weren’t here to block it with your lumbering body.”

“Fuck you!” Danny spat. Carmilla just laughed. “Laura?”

“Yeah that happened when I was shutting down the open sign,” I confirmed. “What are you doing here? I thought you were off tonight?”

“I was doing an essay but I left a flash drive here with some notes on…” 

“Well get them and just go,” I pleaded. 

She scowled and looked Carmilla up and down again and went to the back and stalked out the front door slamming it closed.

“She seems like a lot of fun,” Carmilla said turning to face me, examining the injury, “all better?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded touching my face tentatively expecting it to hurt but it was fine, just wet with blood. I went over to the bar and wiped it off in the sink. “She doesn’t like you too much.”

“You don’t say?”

“She confronted me at school this week, yelled at me in front of everyone… Some people wrote vampire’s whore on my locker in spray paint and just general hatred towards me,” I told her, trying to make it sound airy and light but I started to sob.

She appeared in front of me, superspeed was freaky, and held me in an embrace. “Oh cutie, you’re not a whore.”

“I know.”

“You have to pay a whore, vampire’s slut yes, whore? No.”

I had my hands balled up in her leather and jacket and punched her in the shoulder but I laughed. I felt better clutching myself to her, she was safe and reassuring me. I sniffled my nose and tightened my grips on her lapels, I moved my head from her chest and looked up at her face. She gave me a small, soft smile, I sniffled again and leaned up to capture her lips in a slow, light kiss. She moved her hands behind my back and I started pushing back from behind the bar to a table. I broke the kiss and pushed back her onto the table. 

She lay back with her head raised looking at me expectantly as I crawled onto table, having to stand on bench to get high enough to put my knees onto the surface. I crawled over her, until I was straddling her.

“You’ve got blood on your forehead,” Carmilla whispered. I went to cover up but she grabbed the back of my head and pulled me close to lick the blood from my face. I loved the idea of us each having each other’s blood inside each other and I captured her mouth in a sloppy kiss our teeth knocking lightly. 

It must be her blood, I couldn’t wait, I couldn’t build to anything, I reached down and fumbled for the top button of her jeans and slid my hand down into her panties running through her already wet folds and sliding a single digit into her. She purred and I felt her fangs extending over my tongue. Encouraged I slid a second finger in and started moving them in and out, I tried to move my body so as to rub my thumb over her clit while pumping my fingers increasingly fast. She growled into my mouth and grabbed at my ass with one hand and pushed another under my top and ripped my bra off, snapping it and throwing it across the bar to palm at my breasts.

I broke the kiss to breathe heavily and moan, “bite me, do it, bite me,” I breathed heavily into her ear. Her teeth latched into the same spot as before. The feeling was amazing, my whole body seemed to throb with pleasure starting at my neck and burning through my entire being.

She pulled off my neck and threw her head back.

“Fuck Laura, fuck,” she cried out and shuddered bodily pushing my hand out of her. “Fuck,” she breathed out shaking her head my blood fresh on her teeth.

“Hey,” I mumbled pecking her lips.

“Hey. What are you so are happy about?”

“You called me Laura.”

“Eugh.”

I hopped off the table pulling my top down and adjusting my clothes.

“My place?” I suggested.

“Sure thing cutie.”

“Back to cutie? Ah,” I whined playfully. I grabbed my keys and jacket and satchel locked up and lead her back to my place.


	6. S I X

“Do you think I should go to the police?” I asked Carmilla as we lay naked, entwined together in my bed. 

“Do you?”

“I don’t know, I mean I was assaulted twice now, this is time is basically a hate crime.”

“I don’t think they’ll be that fair to you.”

“Because of you.”

“Pretty much.”

“Why?”

“The police don’t like vampires too much, they want to blame every disappearance on us, when I’d say it’s 50/50 between murders, suicides and vampire attacks.” 

“Well if it’s only 50/50 I don’t see why there would be a problem.”

“Precisely. Don’t worry too much, with my blood in your system you’ll be stronger, heal quicker so you’ll be harder for them to beat up.”

“Oh ok then.”

I ran my finger up from her navel to collarbone and back down, I was still catching my breath but her chest wasn’t rising nor falling.

“Don’t you breathe?”

“I do in public as it looks normal, helps blending in, but I don’t see any reason to.”

“I wish I could blend in…”

“Wear a wig and a trenchcoat?”

“Really?”

“What do you think?” 

“Oooook. So, will you come with me to the wig store?”

She snorted with a short laugh. “You’re an idiot.”

“Adorable you mean!”

“Jesus,” she pulled my head onto her chest and kicked the sheets over us as I snuggled up into her body. 

“Sooooooo, how old are you?” I asked again.

“Eugh. Fine. 335.”

“So you were born in… 1681?”

“Quick math.”

“I’m smart.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Alright grandma.” 

“Don’t you dare call me grandma! I’m fuckin’ serious about that,” she reprimanded me. 

“Does it make you cranky?”

“Shut up cupcake, I’m serious. When were you born then?”

“‘94.”

“Jesus.”

“Kids these days!” I said in a old person voice and shook my fist like a grumpy old man. 

“Well my body is 18 so I’m still younger than you.”  
“18?! So I shouldn’t even let you in the bar, it’s 21 only.”

She growled grumpily.

“Hey L are you up I… Woah sorry, sorry,” Laf had opened my door as I snatched the sheets and pulled them up to my neck holding them tight with white knuckles. 

“Jesus Laf it’s 3am.”

“Yeah I know I just saw a light on and I was working late and was going to make something to drink…” Their voice came through the cracked door. 

“I could have a drink…” I said slowly.

“I’ll put on some hot chocolate.” 

“Thanks,” I called out into the hall. Carmilla was giving me a dirty look, “what? I’m thirsty.”

“I suppose it’s only fair,” she replied slowly running the back of her fingers over the fresh punctures in my neck. I smiled at her with closed eyes and a shrug, gave her a peck on the cheek as I rolled out of my bed and pulled a pair of shorts and a vest on and went out to the kitchen to the smell of hot chocolate. The heightened sense had returned and I could smell the milk weaving into the powder. 

“That smells a-ma-zing,” I said skipping over to the stove and breathing in the steam. 

“You’re all chipper!” Laf said smiling knowingly from the kitchen table. “Evening,” she greeted Carmilla who came from my room wearing my robe.

“Hi,” she said as she slid into the chair next to Laf and started checking and cleaning her nails despondently. 

Laf got up to stir the mix. “Want a cup?” 

“No,” Carmilla smirked I shot her a dirty look, “...thanks.” She added dramatically as if it was a lot of effort. 

“Do you hot liquids stain your dentures?” I asked. 

“Screw off.”

“What?” Laf asked turning back to look questioningly. 

“Nothing,” Carmilla dismissed.

“Do you want some sucking candies or the Early Bird special?” I continued to tease.

“You realize I could kill you in less than a second?”

“Wouldn’t that throw out your bad hip?” I asked pretending to truly be curious. “It might… Ahh,” I cried out as she put me in a headlock, “ah, ah, ah sorry.” She let me go. “I forgot how grumpy you can be!” I grinned broadly at her. 

“Well aren’t you two just adorable,” Laf said sitting down and placing a steaming mug of cocoa in front of me and cradling their own blowing on it. 

“I am adorable!” I squeaked as I straightened out my tussled hair. 

“Jesus,” Carmilla shook her head. “I’m going to get changed, the sun will be up soon.” She sauntered off to my bedroom as Laf just smiled knowingly at me. 

“What?” I asked sipping my drink. “Ow, ow, ow, hot.”

“I’m just glad to see you all happy after that shitty week you had, and will probably have next week too.”

“Yeah I’m happy.” 

“Then so am I.” 

“Thanks Laf.”

“No problem, how’s things with Danny?”

“Worse if anything.”

“She’ll come round.”

“I doubt it.”

“Well her loss then. I’m going to bed, I have a non-nocturnal girlfriend to consider, night night L,” they said getting up and moving away to her bedroom. 

“Night! Thanks for the hot chocolate.” 

I picked up my drink and went back to the bedroom where Carmilla was pulling on her jacket. 

“Are you leaving?”

“I have to,” she said glancing at my radio clock, “sun comes up in a couple hours.”

“What happens to you in the sun?”

“Now? I’m not completely sure. Last time I was out in the sun it was about 200 years ago and my skin started to peel and smoke. The older you get the quicker you burn,” she explained.

“So what do you think would happen?”

“I think I’d catch on fire immediately. I doubt I’d last a minute.”

“Wow, so…”

“Eugh, more questions?”

“It’s interesting.”

“Fine.”

“So if you were 2000, wait are there any vampires that are that old?”

“Yeah a few and a few a lot older than that.”

“Woah, so what would happen if you’re 1000s of years old?”

“You would just disappear, like being vaporized.”

“Spooky.”

“Alright cupcake, I have to go,” she said, leaning over to me and kissing me chastely on the lips. “See you soon.”

She turned to leave and turned back. “Oh almost forgot, you dropped your phone.” She handed me back my blood smeared iPhone from inside her jacket pocket.

“Phew thanks! See you soon!” I said.

The door slammed and she was gone into the night. I felt nice. The blood, the post sex buzz combined made me tired and I wrapped myself up into the sheets and tried to get some sleep. I dreamt of her, dreamt of being with her until the sunlight cracked through the window and awoke me roughly. I scampered from the sun and wrenched my curtains shut. Was it her blood, did sun hurt me now? It did make me sick last week. I didn’t really think about it. I went back to sleep until 3ish.

I had a shower and tied my hair back into a ponytail and got dressed with a backwards white and red snapback and my bar uniform, I know I know it looks stupid but it would keep the sun off my neck. 

I got on the bus deciding to treat myself to a very late breakfast at a deli. I got a dirty look from the cashier who just stared at the red marks on my neck. I had a rare steak sandwich, I normally didn’t like a bloody steak but I insisted they barely cooked it. I normally had well done but I could smell the blood coming from the cut of meat and pulled it from the bread to just eat the bloody steak. 

It was delicious, why had I never had a rare steak before! Yummy. I went into the Anvil bar to see Betty sitting on top of the bar grinning as wide as I’ve ever seen her grin. 

“Hey Laur,” she said.

“Hi.”

“Have fun last night?”

“Yeah it was good.”

“Have fun in the bar?”

“What?”

She reached behind the bar and picked up my discarded bar from the night before and swung it back and forth smiling widely at me.

“At the bar Laura? With a vampire? Danny will be MAD!” She said in a sing song voice. 

“Oh my god,” I squeaked running over to her tripping over my own feet and snatching it back and stuffing it into my bag. I felt my cheeks burning red. 

“Jesus Laur didn’t know you had it in you,” SJ said walking in from the back. Oh good there was more than one witness. “You have to tell which table did you fuck on?”

“I’m not… what? No? Huh?” I stuttered out.

“We need to know so YOU can clean it,” SJ said.

“Fair enough,” I mumbled sheepishly and pointed to the one. 

“Smooth operator,” Betty began to sing. 

“Eugh,” I grunted and walked to the back to put down my bag as I heard the two of them titter like school children. Danny was quiet and awkward around me the whole night and let me stay behind the bar serving drinks. She stayed in the back, apparently very concerned with the bookkeeping and went to help Kirsch in the kitchen, anything to avoid me. 

Around 11 o’clock I heard Betty and SJ whispering and pointing to the entrance as a tall, handsome man in a long black coat over a black suit, white shirt and no tie swanned into the bar. He was white as snow and he had the similar piercing eyes Carmilla did. Betty rushed over to me behind the bar.

“Laur, let me serve him, please?”

“Ok,” I nodded and moved away from the bar to take over serving allowing Betty the bar.

“Hi,” she introduced herself eagerly as the man sat down on a stool. “What can I get you this evening?”

“I saw you have that artificial blood,” he stated rather than asked.

“Yeah we do.”

“B positive.”

“Coming right up, I’m Betty by the way.”

“Will.”

“Coming right up Will.”

She mouthed ‘oh my god,’ to me as she took the bottle to the microwave. I ignored him, not wanting to associate with more vampires than I already had. I kept to myself bussing tables and taking and retrieving orders. He left after only 20 minutes and talking to an incessant Betty. When we closing up she was still so excited. 

“I might go find him,” she announced.

“Find him?” I asked.

“Yeah he was asking if there were any nightclubs in this town, and I pointed him to Cinnamon.”

“The student club?”

“Yeah!”

“You told a vampire to go hang out with students after everything that’s happened?”

“Oh, well it’ll be fine, I’m going there now wanna come guys?”

“Sure,” Kirsch said popping his head around the kitchen door. “I need to unwind.”

“I’m going home,” I told them.

“You have yourself a vamp, not all of us are so lucky,” Betty said snidely. 

“I’ll come,” SJ said.

“Cool.”

“Where you guys heading out?” Danny asked entering the main room, completely blanking me. “I need a drink.”

“Cinnamon.”

“Cool. I’ll lock our shit up here.” 

“Thanks boss lady.”

“Cya Laur,” Kirsch waved. 

They left as a group and Danny shot me a dirty look as they closed the door. I locked up and went home. I needed to catch up on work anyway. I went through it at an alarming rate. 

I decided to take the lead for once.

Laura: Hey wanna do something this week? x

Carmilla: sure

Laura: want c a movie? x

Carmilla: no

Oh.

Carmilla: i’ll take you to eat.

Laura: but u dnt eat? x

Carmilla: type full words. 

Carmilla: and take the offer don’t push your luck.

Laura: sounds great x

Laura: Monday? x

Carmilla: I’ll pick you up.

Laura: Yay! 

I jumped up and down in my chair happily bouncing side to side. Happy Laura is happy! I polished off all my college work, working until easily 4am before trying to sleep. I woke up after noon, went to work, came home and tried to sleep before 4 but failed miserably. I was wiped out exhausted Monday morning, I showered the night before so I could slip off hassle free. I put on the red and white snapback to shield my face from the sun and left my hair down loose to get as much cover over my skin as possible.

Ah, the sun was too bright today, I sat in the middle back seat of the bus to avoid the rays of light. The looks I got at school were worse than before, what the hell? I thought this would die down not boil up.

“Hey bro,” Kirsch literally ran up to me, “did ya hear?”

“About?”

“Oh shit, deep breathe little bro, this is going to fuck up your week, do you know Heather Brown?”

“No…” I said slowly trying to think.

“The barista at the coffee shop just off campus.”

“Oh yeah the blonde girl? She’s nice.”

“She’s been killed…”

“What?”

“Drained of all her blood, same neck bites you’re rocking.”

“Oh god… Shit poor Heather.”

“Yeah well poor you too, people are already talking about Laura Hollis the serial killer fucker,” he said really carefully and tentatively with a sympathetic look. 

“Oh terrific. You know some people threw at a bottle at me on Friday night after you guys left the bar,” I finally admitted to someone. His face twisted in rage.

“What? How close did it get?”

“Square in the face.”

“What?!” He cried out, he examined my face looking for wounds.

“Carmilla healed me.”

“Healed you?”

“She gave me her blood, it knitted my skin back together.”

“Woah, well don’t let anyone know you have her blood inside you. Shit. Fuck bro, if I find out who the fuck did that I’ll fucking kill them.”

“Thanks Kirsch,” I hugged him around his waist, the highest place I could reach on his body and squeezed tight. “You’re a good friend.”

“No sweat little bro, I gotta get to class, watch your back ok?”

“Will do,” I said releasing him. 

“Motherfuckers,” he swore as he walked off in a rage. 

I went the other way from him and went to my locker. Deep breath. The graffiti was worse than before. ‘Cunt.’ ‘Blood bitch.’ ‘Murder fucker.’ Were all scrawled around the main ‘Vampire’s WHORE,’ vandalizm. Jesus. People were awful. 

“Laura Hollis!”

Oh my god what now. That David idiot from the anti-vampire protestors was storming over to me with a group of his friends all wearing their stupid t-shirts. 

“What?” I spat.

“Laura Hollis you were warned, warned that the sides have been made and lines had been drawn and you choose darkness over the light.”

“Fuck off.” 

I turned back to my locker and unclicked the mechanism when a hand on my shoulder wrenched me around. David, who was twice my size had turned me to face him and his supporters.

“You are Satan’s whore!”

There were cries of agreement and ‘slut,’ from the growing crowd.

“Get your hand off me,” I spat pushing his arm away and turning back to the locker. He grabbed my shoulder again and spun me around and I pushed him back as hard as I could and he went flying… Flying 4-5 feet back and about a foot off the ground. The crowd quietened down, and stared at me like I was a monster. How the hell did I do that. 

David was pulled up to his feet by his friends as he stormed towards me only to be knocked to the floor by Kirsch who had appeared and punched him hard. He was picked back up and he and his group left calling insults back.

“Cunt,” Kirsch swore.

“Thanks Kirsch,” I said.

“I was heading to class and heard that idiot and his bros saying your name so I thought you might need some help… Doesn’t look like you did. How the hell did you throw him that far little bro? How much do you bench?”

I had to laugh at that. “I don’t, I think it’s the vampire blood.”

“Cool, cool.”

“Thanks again,” I said taking a binder out of the locker and slamming the door without looking at the writings. 

“No problem, told ya I’d do it,” he grinned goofily, “now I really have to get to class.” He jogged off. “Nice hat by the way, you look very gangsta,” he said turning and running backwards.

I went into an auditorium of icy stares and waves of hatred radiating off everyone. It was amazing that I missed the level of dislike from the week before. Still had a dinner date with Carmilla tonight so every cloud. I scribbled notes and kept my hat on to block out my peripheral vision of evil stares. 

The second lecture was just as bad but word had apparently spread that I had attacked David in a vampire whore’s fury which was just terrific. Maybe I should try to switch to chemistry so I can be in Perry and Laf’s class and not be treated like a plague carrier. Though I would have to learn a whole subject and nevermind that… I could wear Groucho Marx glasses with the nose and fake eyebrows as a disguise. Or just weather the storm. 

I slunk off campus no one was shouting names at me anymore, in fact people were moving out of my way. I wonder if it this is what feels like to actually be a vampire? I have to admit people being slightly scared of me was a nice new feeling, I’m a tiny little blonde girl I’d never ever come close to experiencing this type of response. 

I got a slight spring to my step, all the way up until the door where the bright sun weakened me instantly. I hurried to the bus stop, I was already sweating and feeling dehydrated from the short walk. I don’t even have a tissue to mop my brow. I tumbled onto the bus and took a seat away from every other commuter. I almost passed out. In and out of semi-consciousness, the heat was becoming unbearable. I rushed out of the bus pushing past the others getting off to get into the shade of the sidewalk. 

I dodged the sun, running from shade patch to shade patch. I must have looked like a creep to anyone watching but I didn’t care. I got into my apartment, drank several glasses of water and crashed out in bed. Sleepy sheep.

“Laura,” Perry was shaking me.

“Ah, ah, sleep… Ah, sheep,” I mumbled dreamily.

“Laura!” She cried ripping the covers back. “It’s 5pm and you’re asleep!”

“Waaah,” I whined kicking out my legs and arms like an angry baby. 

“Get up!”

“Ahh, ok, eugh,” I moaned. Rolling side to side like a turtle on its back and rolled out of bed. Perry had her hands on her hips like a scolding parent. “I’m coming.” She shook her head and left. I got up, great I’ve slept in my clothes again. If I keep sleeping during the day I should probably change. I walked into the kitchen rubbing sleep from my eyes.

“Hey L, good morning!” Laf teased me jovially. 

“Waaah,” I replied grumpily, plonking myself down at the table. 

“Did you attack the guy from the anti-vampire group?” Perry asked sternly.

“Oh my god, no, he grabbed me and I told him to fuck off and he grabbed my arm again and pulled me about so I shoved him over,” I explained. I was too tired for this now.

“Oh right, we heard differently.”

“We heard you punched him,” Laf added.

“No, just pushed him, Kirsch punched him.”

“What?!”

“He looked like he was going to attack me, he and a big group were surrounding me and shouting ‘whore,’ at me.” 

“Jesus L, sorry that happened to you.” 

“It’s ok.”

“Come on Perr-perr leave her alone.”

“Fine. Sorry Laura I know this sucks at the moment,” Perry apologized. 

“It’s ok.”

“Wanna hang out tonight?” Laf asked.

“Can’t.”

“Why?”

“I have a date,” I said with a small smile.

“Ohhh, seeing a certain broody vampire are we?”

“Yeah, she’s taking me to dinner!”

“A proper date! Progressing stages L,” Laf said.”Lock that sexy vamp down!”

“I’m trying.”

“Good for you L!”

I smiled and cocked my head to one side. I probably should get ready actually. I showered and towel dried my hair and dressed in a black dress and short boots with a short heel. I threw a black jacket over my shoulders and admired my reflection. Looking good Hollis! Hmm, maybe the blood was giving me a confidence I’ve never had before. 

I paced the apartment and had glasses of water, eventually thought fuck it and had a glass of wine. A little Dutch courage never hurt anybody. 

The buzzer went off and I jumped up and tripped with excitement. No one saw me fall so it doesn’t count! I let her in and opened the door.

“Looking good cutie, I should have made more of an effort,” came her sultry voice from inside. She was sitting at the kitchen table checking her nails as if she had been sitting there for ages. I’d never get used to that. 

“Thanks,” I posed with a hand behind my head and one on my waist bending one knee. She was wearing her usual, black skinny jeans and a white button up shirt untucked and a black blazer. “You look nice,” I said shyly shuffling over to her and kissing her hello. One small kiss became two and then a long passionate kiss. 

“Come on let’s get going,” she said offering her hand.

When we were outside on the street she scooped me up in her arms, winked and went in full vampiric speed. The world turned to a blur, an unrecognizable haze of blended colors. It all stopped suddenly and she put me lightly down.

“Fuck,” I breathed out. “Wow.”

“That must have been a new experience, I know you’re too small to ride any fairground ride.”

“Hey?! Oh actually that is true,” I realized. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs.”All better,” I said. I looked where we were and it was on the nice side of town, where all the people with proper jobs lived. The place she had chosen was a fancy looking French bistro. “This looks great!”

“It’s the only place that serves blood.”

“Oh, well it’s the thought that counts!”

“I googled it and it was the first result.”

“Stop ruining this for me!” I whined. She smirked and took my hand and lead me in. We were seated at a candle lit table in the low, orange light of the restaurant.

“Any drinks to start ladies?” The waiter asked politely.

“Red wine erm… I don’t, know what, wait a second… What’s your house red?” I asked uncertain. I wasn’t used to nice places.

“Do you have Argiolas?” Carmilla interrupted my stuttering.

“Yes madam.”

“She’ll have a 500 milliliter carafe and I’ll have 250 ml one of A negative blood.”

“Very good,” he bowed and walked off.

“I don’t like it when they don’t write it down,” I mumbled.

“Jesus,” she shook her head, “you’ll like the wine, it’s smooth and rich and you can’t get it in a box.”

“Did you drink when you were… Able to drink wine.”

“No, it didn’t exist back then. I’ve just heard it’s good,” she shrugged, “you’re a guinea pig.” 

“Oh thanks.”

I told her about what happened at college and declined her offer to kill everyone there. The waiter placed the drinks down after only a few moments. This place had much faster service than my normal restaurant, the ‘Burger Hole,’ a thought I would probably keep to myself.

“To eat madam?”

“I’ll have a filet steak please.”

“How would you like that cooked madam?”

“What’s the least amount you would cook it?”

“Blue madam.”

“Blue it is please.”

“Very good madam, do you need anymore to drink?” He turned to Carmilla who just shook her head. 

When the food arrived I devoured the steak and used a piece of bread to mop up the blood. I left all the vegetables. I was definitely feeling a little more drunk than I intended to be tonight but I was happy. Carmilla was running her foot up and down my calf under the table, hidden by tablecloth. 

“Do you know any other vampires?” I asked.

“Not really.”

“Really? Why not?”

“Vampires who hang out with other vampires tend to be cruel, they kill and torture their prey. Why do you ask?”

“Well two people have been killed by vampires in the last fortnight…”

“I don’t know who did it. I don’t really care either. People die all the time.”

“What if they wanted to kill me?!”

“They won’t, they’ll sense and smell my blood in your system and know you’re mine.”

I felt like that should be insulting but instead it made me feel safe and linked to her. 

“Some vampire came into the bar on Saturday I wonder if it was him,” I thought out loud. 

“Did you talk to him?”

“No. His name was Will, have you heard you of him?” I asked. The look on her face suggested she had.

“Will? I know a vampire called Will, but it’s a common name, nothing to worry about cutie.”

She seemed a little distant for the rest of the evening. Will was a name which definitely resonated with her. She paid for the meal and didn’t let me see the check. The second we were outside she snatched me up in her arms and sped back to my apartment. 

“Sorry cupcake I gotta go do something now.”

“What?!” I asked confused, I was desperate for her to come in with me. 

“I gotta go.”

“Is this something to do with Will?”

“Maybe, I have to make sure.” She leant in and kissed me briefly before disappearing into the night as I was left kisses the air. Fuck.

I went inside and sat down at the kitchen table for a bit before making self some comforting hot chocolate. My phone buzzed and I almost dropped it trying to frantically see if Carmilla had texted.

Dad: Laura we haven’t talked in ages. Please make time for me soon x dad.

Eugh.


	7. S E V E N

I woke to a text from Carmilla, it came in at 4.55am.

Carmilla: Sorry about last night cupcake, I’ll see you Friday x

An ‘x’ ahhhh yay! I probably shouldn’t be so happy over a letter but it seemed like that wasn’t the sort of the thing she would do lightly. The sun wasn’t quite as bad today but still unpleasant. I decided against the snapback and went for a hoodie and sunglasses, I saw people going for that look when they were hungover. 

I had breakfast with Laf and Perry and got the bus with them into college. 

“How was your little date?” Laf asked.

“Good, we went to a French bistro on the other side of town.” 

“Ohh, did she pick up the check?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Look at you being pampered by your mysterious new girlfriend,” Laf nudged me. 

“I know right,” I said. There was no need to tell them about the weird ending of the evening. With her rushing off. She texted me before she went to sleep so I guess it’s ok. No need to worry myself or my friends. People at school still were treating me like victim zero and avoiding me like the plague. Those who didn’t recognize me at first because of the hood recoiled back in horror when they did.

Oh good, someone from faculties had cleaned my locker. The outlines of the spray paint and markers were visible but the words themselves were gone. Small mercies I suppose. I pushed the stuff I couldn’t face returning yesterday back into the locker only to turn to see David. They had new t-shirts which said ‘no fangs,’ oh very clever, with fanged teeth blocked out with a hazard sign. He ignored me and slapped a sticker with the same words and logos onto my locker. 

I grabbed his wrist to stop him and oh shit it was happening. I rocked out of body and I saw the snapshots. David and his group talking, marching with placards and running, running in fear down an alley then just ripped to pieces. I fell back hitting my locker and breathing heavy.

“The fuck is wrong with you?” David spat.

“I… Nothing,” I decided. Fuck him, besides what could I say? I hate you but I can see the future and you’re going to be murdered. He wouldn’t believe me, it would happen and everyone would think I sicced my ‘evil girlfriend,’ on him. I smiled to myself at the thought of her being my girlfriend, no not the time.

“Freak,” he snarled at me and they stalked away as a group sticking their stupid stickers and posters everywhere. Maybe I should tell Carmilla to see if she can stop it. Actually screw him, he wants to play with fire let him be burned. Or killed… No I’m not responsible. 

I stalked off to my one class of the day, the sun combined with the seeing snapshots of the future ruined me I could barely think. 

Laura: Could you give me a lift home please? x

Kirsch: Sure thing bro x

Kirsch: Meet me at my truck x 

Phew, I stumbled out of school, this was becoming too frequent an occurrence. Is this how a drug addict feels? Wait is vampire blood like a drug. Shit. Probably not, it was just how I felt when I got flashforward visions, and I was tired because I had to stay up late to see Carmilla so it was fine. All explainable. 

“You look ill again little bro, you sure you’re ok?” Kirsch asked me as he had to physically help me into the truck.

“I’m just up really late a lot recently.”

“Sure, but it’s more than that.”

“Stress I guess, it’s so damn exhausting to be hated constantly by everyone.”

“Hey! Not everyone.”

I shot him a grin. He had tinted windows and the shade refreshed me completely. 

“No, not everyone,” I agreed.

“It’ll pass bro, there’s some Republican speaker coming in a couple weeks you know how much people hate them, so you’ll be off the hook.”

“Couple weeks more of hatred yay, isn’t it break in a couple weeks?”

“So it’s after break.” 

“Yeah, so a few weeks more. Besides people are terrified of you Laur, own it be proud. Oh! Why don’t you start dressing like a goth? That’ll freak people out dude!” 

“I don’t think so…”

“Trenchcoat?”

“Like Eric Harris?”

“Who?”

“Nevermind.” 

“Give it some thought.”

He dropped me off and I felt better just having some back and forth with Kirsch. He was completely unphased by the turmolt of the college rumor mill. 

I got in to see my dad had tried to Skype me a load of times last night. I’m not sure I could face him right now, I needed to sleep. Desperately.

I woke after dusk, feeling fine. I guess if vampire blood burns in the sun then it would react badly inside me when I was in the sun. But hey, a few sickly days was better than permanent scarring from broken glass or you know death from being mugged. 

I was lying in bed when the annoying ringing noise of Skype came from my laptop and I rolled over and after a moment of two of deciding answered. My dad’s face appeared on the screen looking confusing by the camera.

“Hey honey, no long time speak,” he greeted me.

“Hi dad, sorry college is hectic.”

“It’s ok,” he smiled, “I remember what it was like at college and working just a call or a text to your old dad now and again would be nice.”

Oh great, if he was angry I could be angry back but he made me feel really guilty. 

“Sorry dad, I’ll try to make more of an effort.”

“Thanks princess that’s all I ask. How’s college?”

“Same old, same old.”

“Isn’t it your reading week in a fortnight?”

“Erm, yeah,” I said tentatively.

“Well I know you have to work at that bar, so I thought I’d come down and see you.”

“O-ok.”

“I was thinking of getting a hotel room at the lodge place I was at last… Woah, was it last year?”

“That sounds great dad.”

“Good, how’s things with you? Have you got yourself a little girlfriend? What was that face you made, you did, didn’t you?”

“Y-yeah,” I replied tentatively not sure if I should tell my dad.

“So what’s her name, what’s she’s like, where’s she from, is she a student?”

“Carmilla, nice, not from here and no she’s not a student.”

“How old is she then?”

“18 I guess.”

“Oh toy girl look at you robbing the crib!”

“It isn’t like that dad,” I said shaking my head. 

“What is that on neck?” He asked sternly all his joviality leaving his face. 

“Nothing,” I said hurriedly pulling my hair over my neck.

“If it’s nothing then why are you hiding?”

I sighed and pulled my hair from my neck to reveal the purple and red circles.

“What are those?”

“Bite marks…”

“Bite marks?! Were you attacked by a vampire?! LAURA! Is this why you didn’t want to speak to me?!”

“NO! Dad no, I wasn’t attacked. I let her bite me.”

“You… What? Her? This girlfriend is a vampire?!”

“Yes,” I admitted in a tiny voice.

“Laura…”

“I thought you were in favor of vampire rights dad?”

“I am but…”

“Not for your own family?”

“No, no, no it’s just a shock.”

“She’s great dad, I really like her and I let her do it.”

“Ok…” He was silent for a bit. “Well I want to meet her when I come to Silas.”

“Daaaaaaaad,” I whined.

“Laura, if my little girl has someone important in their life then I want to meet them.”

“I’ll ask her.” 

“Well make it clear I’ll be very disappointed if she doesn’t come.”

“Waah.”

“Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Good.” 

We went on to talk about mundane things and I promised I’d be better at staying in touch. I wandered out in the kitchen to grab some food.

“Hey Laf.”

“Hey L! We’re ordering Chinese want some?” They asked as Perry came in with her laptop balanced over her forearms. 

“Sure.”

“What’s wrong, you seem down? Another tough day at school?”

“No, well yeah that too, I just spoke my with dad and he saw these,” I said motioning to the marks on my neck.

“Oh shit!” Laf perked up, “how did he take it?”

“He wanted to meet her when he comes over break…”

“That’s it?!” Perry asked.

“Yeah…”

“So your dad saw those and his response was to want to meet the person who did it?”

“Yeah…”

“Seriously L your dad is the coolest, mine would freak the fuck out and lock me in the cellar. He barely accepts homosexuality if I brought a vamp home I would never see daylight again!” Perry stressed. 

“Your dad is super understanding L don’t be a grump.”

“I suppose, Carmilla probably won’t even say yes.”

“Well you don’t know yet.” 

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Ok.”

We ordered and ate, but I couldn’t shrug off the weird feeling my dad had created. I couldn’t tell him about the reaction people at school had and I couldn’t tell him about the deaths. He’d just worry about his little girl and I didn’t want to do that to him. 

The rest of the week I spent worrying about asking Carmilla on Friday. When Friday actually rolled around the joy of knowing I would be seeing her that evening overpowered the concern. I wandered into the main college building from the bus stop only to pause as local police were milling around.

“You’re in trouble now whore,” a girl shouted at me as she and her boyfriend walked past.

I was in trouble? David was dead wasn’t he… I saw it and it happened. No one knows that, calm down. Pretend everything is cool. Fine and dandy, nothing to see here. I went to my locker, which finally had been cleaned completely. It smelt yucky, like chemicals, ammonia probably. 

“You won’t get away with this!”

I turned with a sigh to see a pretty blonde girl with a horrible scowl on her face.

“Get away with what?” I asked tiredly. 

“Oh like you don’t know slut!”

“I really don’t.”

“Yeah fucking right, you set your demon bitch on David!”

“David?”

“David Miller! He’s been murdered. Murdered on your command!” She was spitting with rage.

“Oh that David, no I didn’t.”

“You did and you won’t get away with it!”

“You’ve already said that, want to call me a slut again?”

“I hope your vamp bitch gets bored of you and drains you dry, you deserve it you dyke cunt,” she shouted at me, red faced.

“Ok good talk.”

I turned back to my locker, trying to act nonchalant about what she had said. When I knew she was definitely gone I walked normally to the bathroom, got into a stall, sat on the seat and broke down crying. It was exhausting the constant and seemingly growing stream of pure visceral hatred.

I wept bodily, my shoulders shaking, my eyes stinging. The door of the bathroom swung open and raised my feet up, not that they reached the floor, so they didn’t know I was there. Two sets of footsteps entered.

“Eviscerated?”

“Yeah dude, there was like nothing like left of him.”

“Fuck, fuck that’s heavy.”

“I know right, it’s like those anti-vampire virgin losers were like idiots but they have like a point you know?”

“Yeah, but it’s stupid you know, making yourself like some huge target.”

“Nah it’s fucked up.”

“It is fucked up. Do you know that tiny little dyke Laura Hollis?”

“Of course. The vampire fucker?”

“Yeah dude she’s walking around with those huge fang marks on her. She doesn’t give a fuck.” 

“I never even spoke to her.”

“Oh I have a couple times, she’s nice enough, didn’t seem like the type. People think it was her!”

“Nah.”

“No?”

“No dude if she has the marks and is publically dating a vamp there is no fucking like way she hadn’t anything to do with it.”

“Fuck that’s true.” 

“Yeah babe it’s way too obvious. That ‘tard probably was handing out his faggoty little pamphlets and a vamp took like issue and fucked him up.”

The faucet turned off and they left and I put my feet down. Heh, that’s not too bad I suppose. I guess I can count that as support. I wiped my eyes with the scratchy toilet tissue and went to class. 

People sat with a wide berth around me. The seminar leader seemed to politely ignore the tense attitude and ploughed ahead with the lecture and I pretended to write notes while I actually just drew triangles and made them 3d. When we left the class I felt a tug on my sleeve I turned to expect more abuse but saw a shy girl whose name always escaped me.

“Hi,” she said in a small voice.

“Hi,” I replied confused.

“I’m Suzie.”

“Laura.”

“I know, I know,” her shyness was being replaced with excitement. “I just wanted to say I think it’s really cool what you’re doing. Like really cool.” She stared at me with huge eyes.

“Oh thanks I guess.”

“No worries,” she was beaming now. “I think any vampire would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks…” 

“No thank you!” She touched my arm smiling and hurried off. What the hell was that about? That was creepy. I wonder if that something’s to worry about alongside the hate. I shook it off and went home to nap before I had to go to the bar. 

The night went without incident, it was still awkward between Danny and I but no one brought up the new murder and the fight I had with the guy. I was shocked the police hadn’t talked to me at all really. Everyone probably mentioned my name to them. I couldn’t worry about that I had to worry about asking Carmilla to meet my dad. Ah. 

She arrived to an icy response around 12.30, and glided to the same booth she always took right at the back. I was busy so SJ nervously approached her and took her order and scampered off and returned it. 

“Laura,” she called me over.

“Yeah?”

“Can you serve her please, she scares me.”

“She’s a customer, I was busy.”

“Yeah but… Just please,” she begged.

“Sure.”

I placed down the last drinks order I had taken to their table and skipped over, literally, to Carmilla.

“Hey!” I said kissing her hello.

“Hey,” she replied cooly. “You seem happy.”

“You’re here,” I explained like it was obvious and she cracked a smile. “I have something to ask you…”

“Why does this seem like it will upset me?”

“It shouldn’t… So I was speaking to my dad,” I started, deep breath here goes nothing, “and he saw these,” I pointed to the puncture wounds, “and I told him about you and he’s coming to town in a couple week and…”

“Say and again and I’ll kill you.”

“Right so he wants to meet you?” I made it a question. She sighed.

“Jesus.”

 

“Pleeeeease?” I asked sweetly. 

“Fine.” 

Oh that was easier than I expected.

“Thanks! You’re the bestestestest eveeeer!” I leant over and kissed her cheek. “And, and, and, and, and, and, and,” I said over my shoulder as I walked quickly back to the bar. 

Danny said goodbye to everyone but me quarter of an hour before close and left early without telling me why. I wasn’t that sad about that. The patrons filtered out and it was just the staff, me and Carmilla left. She picked up her blood and sauntered over to the bar. 

“You finishing up cutie?” 

“Almost. I was thinking of having a drink.” 

“Go ahead.”

I pulled myself a beer. 

“Hey pour me one little bro,” Kirsch said coming out from the kitchen throwing his dirtied apron off. “Hey Carmsexy.”

“Don’t call me that you lumbering spas.”

“Sure thing, Carmilla,” he smiled unperturbed by her insult. “How’s your day been?” He asked her coming around the bar and hopping up on the barstool next to her.

“Sleeping.”

“Oh right obviously,” he slapped his forehead lightly, “silly me. Any plans tonight?”

“Hanging out with cupcake.”

“Sweet,” he said scoffing peanuts from a container on the bar.

“Kirsch!” Betty scolded him, “do you know how fucking disgusting those are?” She came round the bar and made herself a Jack and Coke. 

“Taste alright to me.”

“You’re so gross dude,” SJ told him taking Betty’s drink and sipping from it as Betty scowled and set about making herself another drink. SJ hopped up onto the bar and sat there kicking her legs over the side. 

“Want another blood?” I asked Carmilla drinking my beer.

“Do I need one?”

“Huh, oh, no,” I smiled at her realizing what she meant. 

“Smooth operator,” Betty sang as she popped straws into her drink and took a hefty mouthful.

I gave Carmilla a stare trying will her to understand what I wanted. She sighed. 

“So idiots,” she started and I intensified my stare, “so… Guys, how are you all?”

“Good.”

“Can’t complain.”

“Great vamp bro,” Kirsch said swigging his beer. “It gets a little boring back there in the kitchen you know?”

“Not really I never worked.”

“Ever?” I asked her.

“No.”

“Pretty sweet gig bro, living forever not having to work, seems like the life.”

“It’s pleasant enough.”

“How come you’re bored back there and yet you never want Theo to help?” I asked Kirsch accusingly.

“Dunno,” he shrugged, he polished off his beer and held the glass out to me.

“Want me to freshen that up?”

“Please.”

“Eugh.”

I refilled his glass and handed it back. I drained my glass and shoved it into the dishwasher. “Ready?” I asked Carmilla.

“Of course.”

I walked to the back and grabbed my bag and came out to take Carmilla’s offered hand.

“Bye guys, see you tomorrow!” I said waving goodbye. 

“Bye.”

“Have fun.”

“Cya bros.”

I nudged Carmilla hard.

“Yes, yes, nice meeting you,” she said to them as we exited. 

“See that wasn’t too hard,” I said.

“What?”

“Being remotely pleasant to other people.”

“It really was.” 

“Don’t be a grumpasaurus!”

“Jesus.”

“So whatcha wanna do?” I asked skipping every other step. 

“Pick up where we left our dinner date?” She growled into my ear. Woah, ok deep breath, I just nodded.

We walked back to my apartment.

“So what happened on Monday?”

“Nothing really, I had to check who this Will guy was but it was a giant waste of my time.”

“There was another murder you know?”

“Yeah I heard that about.”

“Vampire?”

“Possibly, I mean wasn’t the idiot who got himself into so many pieces going around talking about how much he hated vampires?”

“Yeah.”

“Not surprising then.”

I debated whether to tell her I saw what happened to him before it even happened but decided against it. There was no need to explain something I didn’t really have an explanation for. 

“I suppose, he didn’t deserve to die…”

“Not saying he did but he poked a hornet’s nest.”

“I didn’t like him that much.”  
“You don’t seem very broken up about it.”

“He was a jerk, he berated me, I’m pretty sure he vandalized my locker. I won’t miss him.”

“Then what’s the problem.”

“I suppose there isn’t one. Sorry I didn’t want to get all morbid.”

“It’s kinda a turn on for me cutie, blood, death, gore it’s all good.”

“Dark maaan.”

“Eugh. So what’s your dad like?”

“Huh? Oh he’s really nice, he didn’t even care about the you know,” I gestured to my neck. “He just wanted to meet my…” Ah.

“My what…” She stopped and turned to me.

“I may have referred to you… As… In conversation, casual conversation that is, called you my girlfriend.”

“Did you now?” she said her face and and tone unreadable. 

“Uh-huh.”

“Ok… Well don’t expect me to move in and get a kitten with you.”

“I would call my kitten Meowtchy or Miss Meow Pants,” I said happily. I could call her my girlfriend. 

“Jesus.”

“What?”

“You’re like a child.”

“Oak Trees are like children compared to you.”  
“Humph.”

We got to my apartment and I looked around to see if Perry and Laf were about but they were sleeping in their room. I turned to see Carmilla was gone and my room door was ajar. I went into the bedroom and almost choked. She lying back propped up on the pillows completely naked. Deep breath. I just stood there staring. She disappeared and was behind me her arms around my waist. She kicked backwards and closed the door and walked me towards pulling my top off and throwing me backwards on to the bed.

She crawled seductively up my body, kissing my collarbone and neck, jaw and mouth. I pulled my tongue over her canines and purposefully nicked my tongue, bleeding into the kiss. She purred and the fangs grew full length raking deeper into the wound. She pulled away and started to shift her body up mine until she was straddling my face. I propped my up head and ran my bleeding tongue through her wet folds before engulfing her and sucking in. 

I alternated between licking and sucking and I felt something warm running down onto my cheek. I pulled my face back and saw she had cut her thigh above my head with her nail and her blood was dripping down her leg and I licked it. Her blood trickled into the cut in my tongue and I felt it knitting itself back together. I put my face back to her and she started to grind, her body becoming a hazy blur every few seconds as she went into superspeed and back to normal. 

The coppery taste of her blood mixed with her come as she growled and purred leaning forward and reaching behind my head and pulling me in as close as she could. She shuddered and slowed, rolling off me. 

“Fuck,” she exhaled hard. She patted me on the head like a child, “good job cupcake.”

“Humph!”

“Ah did I upset you? Let me make it up to you.”

She repositioned herself and trailed kisses down my stomach pulling at my shorts.

I felt wiped out after an hour and finishing at least four times, I was yawning.

“Maybe it’s time for me to go,” Carmilla said sitting up looking around for her clothes. 

“Do you have to?” I asked exasperated. “I could keep the curtains closed.”

“You’d need to move the bed away from the window completely.”

My heart somersaulted as I realized she was considering staying. 

“Ok! I can do that. Please stay.”

“Ok, just don’t open those curtains.”

She hopped off the bed and moved it with inhuman strength as far from the window as possible before hopping back in and pulling the covers over us. I snuggled up into her, spooning her back.

“Oh don’t be freaked out when I’m sleeping,” she said grasping my arm tightly around her chest. “I’ll look dead.”

“I’m just glad you’re here,” I mumbled, feeling sleep over take me. 

My alarm clock read 2.45pm when I woke up. I didn’t dream at all I felt great, best sleep I think I’d ever had. I still had my arm over Carmilla who had it clutched tight. She did look dead, more pale than ever before, not moving, her chest wasn’t rising and falling her eyelids weren’t flickering. It was a little disconcerting, if she hadn’t warned me I would have tried to wake her. I tried to pull my arm away but I couldn’t get free of her grip. 

Oh great I guess I’m not moving anytime soon. I kept trying to worm my arm away from her grip and her body suddenly came to life and I was on back with her above me pinning my wrists down. Her face was snarling and fierce, her eyes had gone black, the white disappeared completely. She snarled fangs fully extended before a look of recognition dawned over her expression. 

“Shit, sorry cutie,” she said huskily as her eyes returned to normal and the fangs retracted. “I was deep in sleep there.” She blinked a few times. “What time is it?”

“Nearly three.”

“Jesus fucking christ, I normally get up 5.30.” 

“Hey I’ve fucked my sleep up completely for you.”

“Another 30 minutes at least.”

“Ok. I’m going to get breakfast.”

“Hmm,” she mumbled closing her eyes and all the life leaving her body.

I scooted out of the bed and threw on some track pants and a hoodie and slipped out of the flat, I had to put my hood up to avoid the sun which had become a nuisance again. I went to the local deli and got myself some croissants and a bottle of A- blood. It was 30$ for one little bottle?! Being a vampire wasn’t cheap. 

I made the short trip back to the apartment and put the croissant under the grill and heated her blood in the microwave. Set the table with two places and poured out her blood into a wine glass and placed my pastry on a plate. I closed all the curtains and shades making sure no sunlight could get in. Then I went and nudged Carmilla awake, she snarled again, before shaking it off and I dragged her out of the bed. She grumpily got dressed but did crack a reluctant smile when she saw the setup.

“How sweet,” she commented dryly. 

We sat down and ate, well I ate. The apartment door flung open as Laf and Perry got back deep in conversation. “Oh hi Carmilla,” Perry said stopping dead as she finally looked up. 

“Hi.”

“Hey L, Carmilla,” Laf said coming and sitting down at the table. “Oh by the way L we at the library and we got those pamphlets you wanted about bicycle safety,” they said reaching into their bag and passing me the literature. “Hey croissants can I have one?” 

“Yeah I got three, if you want one Perry?”

“Sure,” she said, she was a bit more nervous around Carmilla than Laf was but came over and sat in the final seat as Laf got up and put the remaining pastries in the oven.

“Bicycle safety?” Carmilla said snarkily, smirking at me.

“I… Well…” I became flustered, folding the pamphlet up and pushing it into my pocket. “It’s…”

“You talked about it for ages L.”

“You’re a dork,” Carmilla said. “Don’t touch that,” she turned snapping at Laf who fiddling with the blinds above the sink.

“Huh? Oh right sorry. I forgot.” 

They retrieved the food and tucked in. It was really nice, sitting with her and my friends just hanging out. This made the crap from school worth it.


	8. E I G H T

I had a spring in my step when I got to school Monday, my friends at the bar were more comfortable around Carmilla and Laf and Perry actually hung out and talked with her. Things were going well. Well considering every person but five loathed me with a passion and I was being accused of first degree murder. But hey, nothing can be totally perfect. 

I went into my Journalism lecture, pretty much oblivious to the now normal standard level of disdain towards me. I sat down and unpacked my bag when the chair next to me was filled I turned confused. It was that girl who approached me on Friday. Sally? Was it? No Suzie.

“Hi,” I said slowly a little apprehensive of her. 

“Hey Laura!” She said bubbling with excitement. 

“Hi,” I repeated slower than before. 

“How was your weekend? Did you see you vampire girlfriend?” She asked wide eyed.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Awesome, that’s so awesome.” 

“I suppose.” Oh this was awful. “What did you do?” I asked reluctantly.

“Not much, not much, just hang out you know. So what did you do with her?”

“Hungout.”

“Sweet, that’s so cool.”

“Right, great.”

The seminar leader began the lecture, phew saved by the teacher. I couldn’t concentrate on what she was saying as I incredibly aware of this girl staring at the side of my face. Don’t look, don’t engage. 

When the seminar ended I bolted for the door so I didn’t have to make weird awkward conversation with this lunatic. It’s easier to be hated than having some odd adoration. I walked fast up to Kirsch.

“Hey.”

“Hey little bro, how’s it going?”

“Alright, do you know some girl called Suzie?”

“No, is she hot?”

“I guess, little asian girl, smaller than me.”

“Wow that’s small, I probably can’t even see her, I have to squint to see you!”

I punched him playfully in the arm. 

“Hey! Watch it little bro. Look I wanted to talk to you. I know you aren’t getting on with Danny at the moment but she’s acting strange dude.”

“Strange how?” I asked as we walked.

“She’s going home early, skipping class, I saw her eating three olympic breakfasts at the Bean Hut in town.”

“Three? That’s impossible. Even for you giants.”

“Well she had them in front of her.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” I said. I didn’t really care if Danny got fat right now. 

“If you say so, just be on the lookout for oddness.” 

“Ok eyes peeled for oddness,” I said lightly, this sounded like a big to do about nothing, I have much bigger things on my plate. 

By the time the week had passed I had forgotten about what Kirsch had said about Danny right up until I walked into the bar and she was looking really gaunt and sickly. 

“You ok?” I asked her, breaking our social silence which had existed for almost a month.

“Don’t worry about me Laura,” she snapped not even looking at me. 

“Fine, sorry for trying to be nice,” I called after her as she stormed into the kitchen.

“She does look a little effed up,” Betty said nodding along. “Maybe she’s turned to drugs.”

“Unlikely, c’mon it’s Danny,” SJ said. “It’s probably stress, she manages here, is working at school and plays basketball. It’s a lot to juggle.”

“Yeah it does catch up to you eventually. She’ll be fine after break,” Betty agreed. “I can’t not fuckin’ wait man I’m going to Aspen with my friends from back home. Skiing!”

“You bitch, I have to stay and work here,” SJ whined.

“Well you should have booked time off well in advance,” Betty taunted her smugly. 

“My mum and dad are coming to see me, which is always excruciating.”

“Same,” I piped up. “He wants to meet Carm.”

“Shit, I want to be a fly on the wall for that,” Betty perked up.

“It’ll be fine, absolutely a-ok!” I said unconvincingly. 

“She seems ok I guess,” SJ said. “Grumpy but ok.”

“Yeah she was ok considering she could kill us all in seconds,” Betty agreed.

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“If you say so.”

We started setting up tables and proceeding with the night. Carmilla said she couldn’t come tonight, it’d be tomorrow instead, so I was a little bored with the evening, there was nothing to look forward to tonight. 

The next night Danny looked even worse than before, there were dark, deep bags under her eyes. I didn’t bother asking her how she was but when Carmilla came in near the end of my shift I saw her sniffing the air and jerking her head towards Danny and scowling. They exchanged a dirty look but Carmilla kept examining her after she had looked away. 

“Hey cupcake,” she greeted me sauntering over. 

“Hey Carm,” I replied happily leaning over the bar to peck her lips hello. I was unloading the dishwasher placing glasses back around their places behind the bar. “So I spoke to my dad aaaaand a week Monday he wants to take us for a meal?”

“Ok…”

“At the bistro you took me too, as it serves blood.”

“Ok…”

“Is that ok?”

“Ok…”

“Great.”

“So what’s your dad like?” She asked chewing her lip a bit her pointed canines working the skin… Wait was she nervous? Awww.

“He’s really nice.”

“That isn’t much to go on, anything else?”

“Erm, he likes hockey and politics and goes on nature walks.”

“Right. Well I don’t know shit about nature walks…”

“Wouldn’t they kill you?”

“Pretty much. What team does he support?”

“The Calgary Flames, his family is from Canada.”

“Don’t know much about that either to be honest. I don’t know much about politics… What party does he support?”

“Republican.”

“Right. I haven’t really followed politics at all, are they the ones who hate everyone or the one who want to give everyone free stuff and run their lives for them?”

“The hate one I guess.”

“Oh ok fucking great I have fucking nothing…” She was still biting at her lip.

I placed my hand over hers and squeezed reassuringly. “You’ll be great, he’ll love you.” 

She finally stopped chewing at her lip. “Ok.”

“Are you all nervous?” I asked.

“No!” She snapped. “No, it’s just, no.”

“Aw, you are.”

She snarled and everyone around the bar jumped at the growling noise. 

“Don’t be all grumpy, it’s ok you’re nervous, it’s cute.”

“I’m not cute,” she whined. It was the first time I’ve heard her whine. “And I’m not nervous ok?”

“Ok! You’re not nervous,” I gave her a knowing smile. 

“Wipe that smile off your face.”

I stuck my tongue out and got back to putting away the last of the glasses. There were a few barflys and die hard regulars still hanging about but otherwise the night was over. 

“Can we go to your place?” I asked Carmilla. 

“Why mine?” She frowned. 

“I haven’t seen where you live.”

“I don’t think it’s the best idea.”

“Why?”

“It isn’t that nice.”

“I want to see!” I moaned, stamping my foot.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

When we left she scooped me up in her arms and reality became a blur of colors. Life came flooding back in the nicest part of the central town of Silas. We were outside a mini-skyscraper. It was at least 20 storeys which was huge for this town. We walked into the lobby and she pressed a fob key against a pad and the inner door unlocked. The place was amazing, it was the sort of place rich, younger people lived, I think a couple of richest kids at college lived here. It was all white lights and marble and gold leaf. There was a beautiful set of elevators at the either side of the end of the hall.

We got in and I jumped out again, she had no reflection in the mirror. That’s freaky. She pressed a button while I waved a hand behind her back yet could see it as if I was the only person in the chamber. Don’t mention play it cool. Ah screw it. I walked behind her and peered over her shoulder and it looked like I was just on tip toes on my own.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“What is it cutie?”

“How do you do your hair?”

“What?”

“Your hair always looks amazing, how do you do it if you have no reflection…”

“That’s the question you ask? Oh my god.”

Well?”

“Well… Well I can see myself in water and in cameras.”

“Why not mirrors then?”

“I have no idea.”

“That’s seriously weird.”

“I don’t know why I don’t age either, I just don’t.”

“You haven’t wondered?”

“Yeah about 250 years ago.”

I whistled, “that’s a long time.” 

“Depends on your perspective.” 

The doors pinged open and we were met by a nice corridor with 4 doors spread out down it. We walked to the end and she pushed open the door.

“You don’t lock it?”

“It has a magnetic lock, no human would be strong enough to open it. It means I don’t have to carry much.” 

We walked into a pitch black room.

“Give me a sec I can’t remember where the light switches are I’ve never used them.”

“Never?”

“I see in the dark.” There was a click and the lights flickered on, powering up for the first time. Ok this was very different. There was no kitchen. It was just one huge room with a bed in the middle. It was a large rectangular sheet of metal hanging from 4 chains coming down from the ceiling holding it up with a very thin mattress on it in the middle of the room. There was a single chair next to a tiny table with a laptop on it and a phone charger cable hanging from the computer. There was a fridge with a microwave on top of it in another corner and a wardrobe in another and that was it. The apartment was huge, with blacked out windows, no curtains just black paint smeared thick over the panes. 

“This is… nice,” I said.

“Don’t be polite cutie it’s functional.”

“So you live in the dark?”

“It isn’t dark to me. I don’t need a kitchen, I don’t need a shower, I don’t need a toilet, I have everything I need.”

“You could have… Erm… A mirr… Oh right no, erm… I guess you’re right.” 

She sighed and pulled a hand over her face, “I knew this was a bad idea.”

“What? Seeing your place?”

“Yeah.”

“No, no,” I cooed moving next to her and wrapping my arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. “I just had no idea what to expect.” I started pushing her towards the elevated bed and I felt her smile and laugh quietly as she spun round and threw me onto the bed. “Ow!” I cried out. Oh my god, I think I broke my hip. “Ah, fuck, Carm ouch.”

“Shit, fuck, shit sorry Laura, I forgot.” She pulled me off the bed. If you could call that cold metal sheet a bed. It felt like I’d been slammed into a steel plate. 

I lay on the side of my hip trying to find a position that wasn’t agonizing. “I think I’ve broken my hip,” I whimpered.

“Who’s the old woman now… No not the time. It isn’t broken I would have heard it shatter. Do you want my blood?”

I just nodded weakly. She knelt next to and raised her wrist to her mouth then paused and lowered it. She bent her neck in front of my face and swept her raven hair over her shoulder. She raked the edge of one of her nails across the side of her throat the blood started to flow and with a hand behind my head pushed me into the gash.

No matter how many times I tasted her blood it was fresh each time. Copper and silk woven together pulsing through my veins, the pain in my side disappeared immediately. My muscles flexed in turn as if I had just exercised and I pulled back from her neck to pull her face to mine and into a kiss. I renicked opened the cut on my tongue on her fangs in her mouth and massaged it into her tongue with my own. I needed to break to suck in air and I could feel the hole in my tongue healing itself, I could feel the skin rebuilding itself. 

“Better?” She asked wiping my blood from her chin.

“Uh-huh,” I nodded as she pulled me up. “Any more of your blood and I’ll become a vampire.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Why?”

“Oh very subtle. You have to die with my blood in your body.” 

“Riiight. Anyway,” I said shaking my head. “We cannot have sex on that sheet of metal.”

“Yeah I don’t really worry about back pain too much.”

“I used to have aches and pains but they’ve all gone since I met you…” I smiled at her.

“Isn’t that sweet.”

“Why do you have to ruin every moment?! Especially coming from the person who is scared of my dad.”

“I’m not scared! Ok fine, I’m a little nervous about it.”

“Aw! Ow,” I shouted out again as I hopped up onto her ‘bed’ and hurt my butt. “You’ll be fine, I really like you and he’ll see that. Just try not to be a sarcastic ass.”

“I don’t know,” she hopped up next to me. “I’m 300 years older than him and I’m scared of him not liking me…” 

“Aw,” I threw my arm over her shoulder and pulled her in tight. “Just don’t use too many vampiric powers in front of him.”

“Obviously,” she said snuggling into me. 

My phone started buzzing, I pulled it out and saw an unknown number. Who was calling at 2.30am?! I ignored it but it rang again straight away. 

“Hello?”

“Laura Hollis?”

“Yes.”

“This is Silas Hospital Morgue we need you to identify a body.”

“Who?”

“Please come in now, the police are on their way.”

The phone went dead. Oh god. Who was it?

“It was…”

“I heard,” Carmilla interrupted me. “Come on.” She lead me from her place and down the elevator and outside she scooped me up once more and zipped off. We re-entered reality outside the hospital. We walked in hand in hand and asked for the morgue at the front desk.

“Hi,” I said to a man sitting at a desk next to a room with frosted windows.

“Good evening.”

“I’m Laura Hollis.”

“Ok.”

“I was called about… Identifying a body…” It sounded alien coming through my lips. 

“One minute.”

The man left and came back after a couple long moments with two police officers and a doctor in full scrubs. 

“Miss Hollis?”

“Yeah.”

“This way.”

They lead Carmilla and I into the morgue, there were loads of metal doors stacked on top of each other, eugh, I’d only ever seen those in television. They lead us up to a gurney with a body covered by a white sheet on it. The doctor gave us a look and pulled the sheet back. Oh my god.

I felt the waves of sick crashing through my twisting stomach and boiling up to my throat. 

“Do you know her? You were one of her last contacts in her phone.”

“Y-y…” I stopped and took a deep breath. “Yeah that’s Betty Spielsdorf.” I finally managed to push out. 

“We thought so, we just needed identification,” the doctor made a note on a clipboard and covered Betty’s body back up. “I’ll leave you to your questions.”

“Thank you doctor,” one of the officers took the lead. “Right Ms. Hollis.” He pulled a notepad from his pocket. “What was your relation with Ms. Spielsdorf?”

“She was a friend, work colleague and we went to college together.”

“Silas University?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know if she had any relations with vampires?”

“Not that I know of,” I flat out lied to the police. 

“Not that you know of? We need specificity Miss.” 

“She never told me if she did, so no to the best of my knowledge.”

“Thank you. Now you worked together?”

“The Anvil Bar.”

More scribbling. “I know the place. Have there been any vampire patrons to this establishment?”

“Just me,” Carmilla broke her silence. I could see the twinkle of fear in both of their eyes at the realization. 

“You?”

“She was with me all night,” I said quickly.

“Ok, we just have your word for that.”

“There is the security footage of us entering my apartment bloc,” Carmilla said, she sounded so bored by all this.

“Ok well we’ll need to check that later. Ok ladies thank you for your time.”

“Thanks officer.”

Carmilla gave them her address and name of the building manager and they left. 

“Want me to drop you off home?” She asked.

I just nodded. I felt numb, but not sad. Just numb. She went to scoop me up and I stopped her.

“I just need a minute.”

The cool night was nice, it lifted some of the weight from my shoulders. I took off my jacket trying to chill myself. 

“Ok,” I exhaled, “ok let’s go.”

I zoned out and we were at my apartment, all the way across town. I opened the door as she paused.

“Could you come up?”

“Sure.”

“I need to be held.”

We went upstairs, the apartment was deathly quiet. My night vision was much better than ever before, I could see the outlines of the kitchen table and doorways. We went into my bedroom and flicked on the light. I still hadn’t dragged the bed back from the darkest corner and I hadn’t opened the curtains in days so things were all vampire friendly. I hopped up and wrapped myself up in the duvet and Carmilla fitted in behind me and pulled me into her form as tightly as possible.

It took a while to drift off and black and white streaks danced over the back of closed eyelids. Until they were replaced by a giant mirror, I walked around it, it was an obelisk of mirrors, I couldn’t see myself in it though. The obelisk shuddered, and Betty’s reflection appeared instead of my own. I leant in and tried to touch my face, I pulled down my eyelid and blood poured from the gap between the bottom eyelid and the iris. The reflection of Betty just ran away. The construction shuddered again and blood began spouting from the top showering me, filling my mouth and lungs.

I jolted awake, my body jerking, Carmilla didn’t wake, she just purred like a sleeping cat and pulled me in closer and nuzzled the back of my neck. I tried to move her arm into a little more comfortable position but it seemed to weigh a tonne. She reacted to my motion and wrapped one of her legs over mine and pretty much locked me in place. 

“Wakey wakey,” Carmilla shook me. I grumbled and rolled free of her now loose grip. 

“Time?” I mumbled sleepily. 

“5.”

“5?! Shit I was supposed to be at the bar thirty minutes ago!” I started to scramble awake.

“You think they’re opening today?” 

“Probably not. I should probably check.” I rummaged around for my phone and called SJ. No answer. Kirsch. No answer. Oh shit. Shit I’m going to have to call Danny aren’t I?

I took a second and pressed her name and it started to ring.

“What?”

“Hi.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Is the bar open today?”

“What do you think?”

“Probably not.”

“Good guess.”

The phone went dead. Fuck. There was a small knock at the door.

“Everyone decent in there?” Perry called from the hallway.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know what time it is?!”

“Yeah the bar is closed today…” Of course she wouldn’t have heard. “Betty was killed last night.”

“Oh my god,” she cried slapping her hands to her mouth in horror. 

“We had to identify her body last night.”

Perry gasped and came and jumped on the bed and crawled over to me to hug me tight. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Ok honey, let me know if you need anything,” she let go giving me a sympathetic smile, “hi Carmilla.”

“Hi.”

Perry left the room in a hurry and a few seconds later I heard Laf shout “what?!”

I threw myself back on the bed and sighed. “This is fucked up.”

“People die.”

“How can you be so callous?!” I asked shocked. 

“I’m not, I’m being realistic. I didn’t know her, people die all the time are you sad about them?”

“Well I don’t know them…”

“And I didn’t know her.”

“Humph.” I turned on my side away from her. She slid out of the bed and left the room. I didn’t want to talk to her at the moment. I heard the microwave door slam. I guess she was drinking the rest of the blood left in the fridge. I could hear Laf and Carmilla’s voices but couldn’t tell what they were talking about. I covered my head with my pillow. Trying to block out the world. 

A few minutes later my door opened again and Carmilla pulled me over and out of my pillow and covers and handed me a hot chocolate. 

“You made this?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks,” I beamed.

“Remember it’s the thought that counts. I’ve never made it before and I can’t judge the taste.” 

“It’s nice,” I said, it was ok, not great but not terrible.

“Ok.” She watched me drink again biting at her lip nervously, working the point of her canine into the flesh. 

“It’s great,” I lied, and kissed her cheek softly, “thank you.” 

We just hung out it was nice, normal even. Watched tv while she criticised and said she wanted to murder half of the people on screen. When I woke up the next day she had gone in the night. My phone had missed messages.

Kirsch: Back open today dude x

Laura: k c u soon x

I ate some toast, got dressed and left in my creased to hell bar uniform. I walked into the bar and my heart dropped. It was that Suzie girl. Wearing an Anvil bar uniform. What, No, no no no shit.

“Hey Laura!” She waved enthusiastically. “Sorry to hear about your friend but I filled the position this morning! We’ll be working together!”

“Oh good,” I said, walking past her to the back and threw my bag in the breakroom. Kirsch was struggling to peel a banana, I snatched it from him and opened it. “Hey.”

“Hey bro,” he said chewing happily. “I can’t believe about Betty dude.”

“I know, I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“No, no I don’t think anyone wants to.”

“Why is that crazed stalker working here?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, well SJ needed the day off, understandably, and that Suzie chick came this morning and asked Danny for a job and you know we’re desperate at the moment.” 

“But her?!”

“Hey guys what you talking about?” Suzie asked walking into the back. 

“Nothing much,” I said.

“Oh cool. Just hanging out, shooting the shit, couple of pals. Sweet.”

Oh my god this was going to be torture. She spent the whole night smiling at me, I tried to stay as busy as possible, trying not to stop for a minute to give her the opportunity to chat. By the time the bar was closing up I had no choice. Danny left early again, she was looking a little sickly but had been eating sandwiches and chips all night, more than I would eat in a day over a few hours.

“You new here?” A man at the bar asked Suzie.

“Yeah!” She replied happily. “Just started.”

“What happened to the other girls?”

“One died the other is off,” she replied lightly. 

“Died?!”

“Yup,” she said as she handed him his last beer and wandered off carefree to unload the dishwasher. There were 3 men at the bar and that was it. Kirsch had stumbled out of the kitchen and was drinking behind the bar leaning on it watching the tv fixed in the corner. 

I took off my apron and sat down at the bar. 

“Get me a beer Kirsch.”

“Sure thing little bro.”

He poured it to me and slung it over.

“You’re right about Danny by the way,” I said sipping on my drink.

“Huh?”

“She is acting weird.”

“Maybe she has the flu or something dude. I told ya!” He said nodding pulling himself another beer. 

“Eep,” I cried out as a set of arms slid around my waist. “Oh hi Carm,” I said over my shoulder, bending my neck back to kiss her. 

“Hey. How are things here today?”

“Slow, I was thinking of getting a picture of Betty and some candles or something to make a tribute, memorial thing behind the bar.” 

“Sounds sweet.”

“That’s a good idea bro, I’ll chip in for that,” Kirsch piped up, “hey Carmsexy how’s it going?” 

“I told you not to call me that idiot.”

He just grinned and winked at her. Her intimidation factor just didn’t work on him, he was immune. She grumbled and slid in the barstool next to me. 

“Hey!” Suzie bounded over, “Hi there, can I get you something?”

“No.”

“Are you sure we have a wide selec…”

“Does no mean something else to you retard?”

“No…” Her smile disappeared and she stood there expectantly.

“What?” Carmilla asked rudely.

“Nothing…”

“Then go away.”

She walked off crestfallen, glancing over her shoulder a couple times. The barflys left and then Kirsch went. It was just Carmilla and I left in the bar, that annoying new girl had disappeared somewhere. 

“I just need to get my stuff from the back,” I said to Carmilla hopping off the stool as Suzie walked out front again humming to herself and pretending not to stare weirdly at us. 

I was picking up my bag when the door clicked closed and Carmilla was in the room with me. “One sec…” I started before she was next to me pushing me back, locking her lips with mine in a passionate kiss as her hand roughly pushed into my shorts, past my underwear and slid a finger inside me. I moaned out, my breathing accelerating. She pulled away abruptly and supersped to the door and grabbed at something.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Suzie whined as Carmilla held her my the hair and pulled her into the room.

“What the fuck were you doing?” Carmilla snarled at her.

“Nothing, coming back to get something.”

“What?”

“Erm, I was… I.”

“Ehhhhh, too long, get out,” she snarled at the terrified girl fangs fully extended and with a raspy animalistic bass to her voice. 

Suzie scampered off.

“She’s going to be a problem,” I said, breathing hard to blow the hair which had fallen over my face.

“Come on let’s get back to yours, away from prying eyes.”


	9. N I N E

I tried to take control for once, pushing her hands from my waist and pushing her back onto my bed so she sitting back legs draped over the edge. I popped the button on the top of her jeans and started to pull them down either side of her legs as she balanced impossibly on her hands. I tossed her pants aside and ran the back of my hands up her inner calves then thighs. She purred and I looked up to see her eyes darkening and fangs fully extended. The purr reverberated deep in her chest as I ran the back of fingers over her through her underwear, I knelt down in front of her and started trailing kisses where I had just ran my hands.

I pulled the string on her black underwear aside and just ran my tongue downwards through her, her legs shuddered she propped herself up with just one hand and started yanking down her underwear. “Fuck it!” She growled and snapped the string, breaking them loose and discarding them. She wrapped one her legs behind my head pressing my face into her. I engulfed her clit with my mouth and worked my tongue in between her folds and into her. Moving my tongue in and out then up to her clit made her body tremor through her leg into my head as she held tighter. I reached up and splayed my hands over her stomach holding her place as she started to grind herself into my face.

The purr turned in a growl and she shuddered and thrashed violently, my face getting wet as she finished directly into my mouth. She released her death grip over my head and stretched her legs out and started crawling back up the bed not breaking eye contact, her pupils and iris had all gone black. I moved up the bed and crawled over her and kissed lightly at first but soon intensifying, her hand snaked down my torso, palming my breasts through my bra and top capturing my moan in her kiss. She trailed her hand down past my waistband of my shorts and panties sliding a digit through my sex and into me. As I broke the kiss to whimper she used her other hand to sweep my hair off my neck and sunk her teeth into my hammering pulse point. 

I squeaked having to suck in mouthfuls of oxygen as pure bliss radiated from my neck and my sex combining and rising to crescendo as she slid a second finger into me, drawing them back and forth. I don’t know what came over me but I decided to bite at her throat, using my regular human teeth to tear away at some of her flesh, I made a small gash and she snarled but didn’t stop her fingers or drinking from me as I leant up to drink from her. I held the back of her head with one hand and moved my free one between our pressed together bodies to touch her. I made small circles over her clit, speeding up my motion as she slid a third finger inside me.

She shuddered over me, growling like an animal as I cried out in unison with her. She collapsed on top of me resting for a second before rolling off as there was a sharp knock on the wall. “Shut up!” Perry’s voice rang through the apartment. I started giggling. 

There was a dull ache in my neck but waves of euphoria rippled through me from my throat and between my legs. I turned over onto my side to look at Carmilla. I was still fully clothed and she had her top off. We couldn’t even wait to get our clothes off! 

I was still giggling quietly when Carmilla raised a finger to her lips and shushed me. I scowled and playfully pushed her. 

“I probably should start get going,” she said.

“Really?” I asked a little put out.

“Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“Yeah I guess.”

“So if I stayed I’d have to wait until sundown here alone, reading your ‘Hello Kitty,’ comics.”

“I don’t have any of those,” I said, “I don’t think they exist. But hey good job champ,” I said punching her arm “trying and completely failing to be all modern.”

“Humph,” she moaned, getting off the bed and pulling her pants back on. She picked up her ripped panties and examined them with a smirk and tossed them to me. “A memento.”

“I’ll see you soon?” I said pushing her broken underwear under my pillows. 

“Sure will,” she crawled over the bed to me and gave me a lingering, soft kiss. “See you around cupcake.”

“Byeee.” 

She closed my door and I heard the front door lock. I tucked myself up in the sheets and burrowed deep into the pillows. Sleepy sheep. 

I waited in the morning until I heard Laf and Perry left so I didn’t have to talk about them hearing us last night. I felt completely wiped out yet again, I had only a couple hours of sleep and I guess the vampire blood would make the sun unbearable. I pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt and once again donned my red and white snapback. Gangsta! God I’m a dork aren’t I?

I scurried from shade patch to shade patch like a lunatic, dodging, ducking and weaving my way to the bus. The people at school stared at me. I didn’t even think about it, they would obviously pin the blame for Betty’s death on me. Of course. Was the mob so stupid to think, that if I were somehow behind this I would have one of my friends murdered. It was the most insulting thing of all.

“Hey L!” 

I turned to see Suzie not Laf, the girl had dyed her hair a similar blonde color to mine. Oh my god. This was getting freaky. 

“L?” I said confused, only Laf called me that.

“Yeah, heard your friend call you that, I thought it was fun nickname type thing.”

“It’s kinda their thing…” I said annoyed.

“Oh well I’m stealing it!” She said, completely unfazed by my derisive tone. 

“Eugh,” I mumbled walking past her. She jogged up to me catching up. 

“Going to class?”

“Obviously.”

“Cool, cool, cool, so what did you and your vampire girlfriend get up to after…”

“After you were perving on us?” I snapped at her.

“Sure,” she chirped happily as if it were the most normal thing. “Did you get busy?”

“Eugh.”

“Sorry not my place, it’s cool, it’s cool, no worries.”

I tried to walk as fast as I could away from this psychopath but she maintained my pace. I wonder if I should have taken up my dad’s offer on providing me with bear mace. Though blinding her might not paint me as a sympathetic figure. I spent the short walk to the auditorium weighing up the pros and cons of physical violence. 

She walked all the way up the steps to back to sit next to me. I remained silent.

“Just two blondes having fun am I right?” She asked.

Jesus fucking Christ. 

“Am I right?” She pushed, her voice taking on a slightly hysterical tone.

“Sure, whatever.”

“So now we are work buddies, we should hang out sometime, break is coming up afterall.” 

“Maybe.”

“Maybe isn’t an answer,” she said with a sing song voice.

“Maybe,” I repeated angrily. 

“I’ll take that as a yes!”

“Whatever.”

“Laura!” The seminar leader cried out from the bottom of the hall, “be quiet.”

Oh goddammit. I shot Suzie the dirtiest look I could muster but she was grinning obliviously. 

After the lecture I literally sprinted out, who gives a shit if it looked crazy everyone hated me anyway. I went and hid in the bathroom for a quarter of an hour. I had to raise my feet from the gap under the stall door when Suzie wanted in and called ‘L?’ Then left. I’m surprised she didn’t look under the stall door. I left and searched out my friends, I needed some security. 

“You’re a sick bitch!” Someone shouted at me as I walked past.

That’s better, back to normal.

“She was your friend you cunt!” Some frat boy idiot yelled at me. 

That Suzie girl was really bad if I was welcoming the insults. I saw Kirsch walking ahead of me down the hall and I had to run to catch up to his giant strides.

“Hey,” I said tugging at his sleeve. 

“Oh hey there little bro,” he replied slowing his pace to one I keep up with.

“Could you take me home possibly?” I asked.

“Don’t you have another class?”

“Yeah…”

“Ok,” he laughed, “not like you to skip class.”

“I have a stalker, that girl Suzie has dyed her fucking hair blonde.”

“Maybe she likes it?”

“She’s creepy, she tried to watch Carmilla and I in the breakroom after you left Sunday.”

“The breakroom! Laura we eat in there dude!”

“That’s beside the point! She was peeking and is dying her hair and following me around!” 

“Don’t worry so much little bro, she’s harmless.” 

“Humph.”

“Come on I’ll take you home.”

I skipped all my Journalism classes that week, anything to avoid Suzie, I had to sneak to my locker and run away from it in case she was staking it out. No one believed me and worst of all Perry called it flattering. 

When Friday rolled round and the college broke up for a fortnight I was ready to be far away from the place. Kirsch was right, tempers would simmer down over two weeks. When I got to the bar SJ was back to work, she had taken Betty’s death pretty hard. I had bought a pair of long burn candles and had a framed picture of Betty which I set up behind the bar with the top shelf liquor. When SJ saw it she broke out in tears, ran over to me and hugged me really tight then went to the bathroom. 

“That’s nice bro,” Kirsch said coming out from the kitchen. “I’ll get some flowers to put next to it tomorrow.”

I shot him a smile.

“Hey guys how’s it going?” Suzie asked entered the bar.

I just grumbled. She came up to me and nudged me.

“How’s it going?” She repeated.

“Fine.” I stalked off to the back to sit in the breakroom. She just followed me. 

“So when we hanging out?” 

“Excuse me?”

“Hanging out? When are we?”

“We’re not.”

“Don’t be silly, of course we are, it’s what friends do!”

“I’m busy.”

“You’re not always busy, how about Monday?” She said. What the hell was wrong with this girl.

“I’m going out with Carmilla and my dad.”

“Can I come?”

“What? Of course not,” I snapped.

“I was just kidding,” she said and fake laughed manically. Oh what would I do for a can of bear mace. “We’ll arrange something, I’ll text you.”

“You don’t have my number…”

“Yeah, I do I got it from Danny.”

“What?!”

“So I’ll shoot you a text sometime,” she said and wandered off obliviously happy from the breakroom. Oh good lord I need to move state. Or country. By the end of my shift, 7 to 8 painful hours later I wanted to physically strangle her. Normally on a Friday shift I would stay and have a drink but I snuck off while Suzie was in the back and got home as quickly as I could.

Text from an unknown number.

???: HEY! It’s Suzie, missed you after work! See you tomorrow! xxxxxx

I saved her number and blocked it. 

Laura: Hey you coming to the bar tomorrow? x

Carmilla: Yeah x

Oh good. I was wiped out tired and went straight to sleep. When I checked my phone the next morning… Well early afternoon. I had a load of blocked messages. All from the stalker. Maybe I should actually ask Carm to kill someone for me… I’ll file that thought in the maybe category. 

Laf and Perry had suitcases in the hall when I was eating breakfast. Oh I completely forgot. I’m a terrible friend!

“You guys off?”

“Yeah my dad is picking us up anytime now,” Laf replied, “we’ll be back by Thursday so don’t fuck on the kitchen table or in our room or any communal space please.”

“Oh my god,” I whimpered spluttering with embarrassment. 

Their phone rang.

“Hey dad, we’re coming down! Ok L see you soon,” they came over and hugged me.

“Behave yourself sweetie,” Perry said, hugging me too.

“Bye guys have fun.”

“In Connecticut? Unlikely.”

With that they were gone. I had the place to myself. I don’t really have anything to do with the place to myself in the afternoon, especially since this time of day was lethal to my girlfriend. I just bummed about, had a long shower, ate a shameful frozen pizza, watched junk tv and got ready for work. 

On arrival at the bar Danny looked so rough, she was drinking orange juice straight from the pitcher. She glanced up at me and away without acknowledging me at all. Kirsch must have already arrived as there was a wreath of flowers surrounding the picture of Betty. I walked behind the bar and lit the candles either side and took a moment of reflection. 

I was broken out of my moment by shattering glass as Danny dropped her pitcher.

“Fuck, shit, fuck.”

“It’s ok boss I got it!” Suzie said appearing from the back. “Hey L!” She waved at me. I just ignored her and turned back to the memorial and gave a small sad smile. 

I tip toed past the broken shards and started to set up the tables. Suzie tried to talk to me all evening, weirdly she seemed normal enough around Danny and SJ which was more disconcerting. When Carmilla arrived at the end of the night and slid into her usual booth she ran over to her, literally cutting me in front to take her order. 

“Hey what can I get you this fine evening?” 

“Go away.”

“We have many…”

“Fuck off,” Carmilla snapped.

“I can get you…”

“Fuck off now, cutie,” she beckoned me over. “Get me a drink will you.”

“I can get it!” Suzie whined.

“What the fuck is problem retard? Unless you want to find yourself in 5 different garbage cans around town tomorrow morning go the fuck away.”

Suzie walked backwards staring at her then me. I walked behind the bar to get a bottle of blood, I went to microwave it, I was angry myself now, what the hell was wrong with that girl? When I brought back the drink and a tumbler Suzie was leaning on the bar pretending to clean glasses while kept glancing up and over at Carm.

“Here you go!” I said placing down and pouring the drink. I slid into the booth opposite her. I needed a short rest. 

“Do you want me to kill her?” She asked sipping at the artificial blood.

“I have actually thought about it several times this week. It’s still in the maybe list.”

“Keep me posted.”

“So she dyed her hair blonde?”

“Oh yeah. She has stalked me at college, here, it is just obsessive, she got my number from someone else and I blocked it and she just calls and calls. I have a LOAD of blocked calls.”

“Jesus.”

“I know.”

“I should probably kill her before she kills you, kills you and cuts off your skin and wears it.”

“Oh my god Carm!” I cried out horrified as she smirked pleased with herself.

Danny stormed out of the bar looking worse than the afternoon when I arrived. 

“She looks like a meth head at the moment.”

“It’s her business, her problem whatever it is,” Carmilla said casually, “don’t worry yourself about it.” 

“But…”

“Just leave her be cutie, trust me you have enough on your plate,” she interrupted me. 

“Oh I completely forgot, Laf and Perry are away for most of the week…” I said suggestively… Well what I hoped was suggestively, may have just been stupid. 

“Oh really?” She cocked her eyebrow and smirked, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss, she broke away and pulled herself over to my ear. “Then get your stuff.” She nipped at my earlobe with the tip of one of fangs. 

“Ok.”

I rushed to the back nearly tripping. “Hey SJ! I’m cutting out early.”

“Sure thing Laur.”

“Are you two off?” Suzie asked.

I flat out ignored her as I looped my arm into Carmilla’s and headed for the door.

“Are you two off?” Suzie repeated shouting this time, “where you going?”

Ignored again.

Back at my place, it felt freer, more open just to have the place to ourselves. I turned to talk to Carmilla, to offer a drink, I had bought some blood to keep in the fridge, but she was gone. My door was wide open. Oh ok. I smiled and started pulling off my own shirt as I wandered in. I caught a glimpse of her totally naked on the bed and she was gone once more and I gasped as her hands wrapped around my waist and helped pull of my top, unclasp my bra and was already yanking down my shorts before I knew what was happening. 

She ripped off my underwear, snapping them at the waist as I turned to complain her fangs sunk into my neck, she kept walking me towards the bed. I shuddered and quivered under her bite as she pushed me up on my hands and knees onto the mattress. She broke her teeth free and stopped me from turning around.

I was kneeling on my hands and knees with her behind me. “What are yo…” I cut off my question with a gasp as she slid two fingers into me, withdrew them and started to draw them back and forth. She sped up, her hand moving unnaturally fast as I started to literally scream, I mushed my face into the sheets my hair pressed into my eyes and face as she relentlessly pumped her hand in and out. I was already close to finishing, and I shuddered and my legs gave way. I expected her to stop but she took my feet and bent them towards my ass and placed her hand under my stomach to prop me up and continued with her fingers, adding a third. 

My eyes were flickering back and my legs thrashed back as I finished a second and third time in a row. I was shaking, my body was trembling, the muscles were uncontrollably twitching in my thighs but she kept going. The ache in stomach unravelled with one final, deep thrust and I collapsed panting, sweat beads dripping from my spine. Carmilla flopped onto of me, she weighed nothing. 

“Hey cutie, how ya doing?” She mumbled into my ear before licking the residue blood off my neck. 

“Numphhhh maaaah,” I attempted to speak through heavy breaths. She slid her body up until she was straddling the back of my head, she raised herself up on her knees and I turned onto my back as she lowered herself over my face. 

I called in sick the next day. Getting to sleep just before sun came up took it out of me. When Monday rolled around I was asleep at 3 in the afternoon when my buzzer went off and I leapt out of my skin. Shit, I rolled out of bed, and pulled a hoodie on over my vest, and left my room in my pajamas, I looked at the video screen it was my dad. Oh why did I sleep all day? I buzzed him up.

“Hey there honey!” He called up the stairs jogging up them 2 at a time and picking me up and spinning me around before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Still in your pjs?” He said chastising me. 

“Uh-huh,” I said like a little girl, knowing that always worked on him, “it’s great to see you daddy! Do you want a coffee?”

“Sure thing honey.”

He made his way over to the kitchen table as I pushed one of Perry’s special espresso pods in her special machine and attempted to work out the damn thing. 

“My flight was long, it took ages to get from Long Island to JFK in the first place, and then we spent ages before we taxied and it was all just a giant hullabaloo. Oh you don’t care about all that guff! So tell me how is school?”

“Great, I’m in the top quarter of all my classes,” I said, as I smiled as I got the machine to whizz and produce coffee. It smelt foul. Yuck. I decided the whole string of murders and vandalism and hatred was best to be omitted. 

“That’s my girl,” he smiled proudly, “thank you,” he said as I passed him the steaming mug of coffee and sat opposite him. 

“She’s great dad, she really is, you’ll love her, she’s smart and beautiful and loving and she really cares for me, she makes me really happy dad.”

“Ok, well that’s all very reassuring.”

“Why do you need to be reassured?”

“When you have a child who has an injury or a wound, or whatever those marks on your neck where, are, you’d be concerned.”

“I understand dad but I don’t mind it, I kinda like it,” I smiled.

“AH! I don’t need any details. I just need to be… You know reassured.”

“I get it dad, you’ll see her tonight.”

“She can’t meet us before?”

“No, she can’t come out in the sun.”

“Oh right, sorry, I forgot, you’ll have to be understanding with me honey this will require some readjustment and learning on my part.” 

I reached over and covered his hand with my own and squeezed it. 

“You’re the best dad.”

“I really am!” He smiled and winked, “this is good coffee.”

I got dressed into an actual dress with a light jacket and we went for a walk around town, while he told me about how bored he was waiting for the NHL season to restart. How much he hated Obama and constantly commenting on how beautiful this town was. I think I heard the phrase ‘rich heritage,’ at least 10 times.

We made our way to the Bistro for 8pm and Carmilla was already waiting outside, she was pacing. Wow, wow ok, she was wearing a black dress, a proper dress, with black stockings and had straightened her curly raven hair. She had made a real effort. She looked gorgeous. 

“Hey Carm,” I said waving and bounding over to kiss her briefly on the lips.

“Hey cupcake.”

“Dad this is Carmilla, Carmilla this is dad, David Hollis.”

Carmilla leant up to kiss him on either cheek, like a European would.

“Nice to meet you sir,” she said, she was unsure of herself. She was fidgeting with the hem of her dress and shuffling her feet a bit. 

“Nice to meet you too young lady,” he smiled, young lady? I stifled a laugh. “Shall we?” He opened the door to the restaurant for both of us to enter.

“Good evening ladies, good evening sir,” the hostess greeted us.

“Table for three, Hollis.”

“Erm… Yeah here you are, please let me take you to your table. Here we go, a waiter will be with you momentarily.”

“Thank you.”

A waiter hurried over promptly. 

“Good evening can I get some drinks?” She asked as she handed us each a menu, looking very confused when Carmilla waved her off. 

“Do you want some wine honey?”

“Sure thing.”

“Ok a bottle of merlot I guess and for you Carmilla?”

“A negative please.”

“Oh you’re a… I mean of course madam.” 

“So Carmilla where are you from?”

“Austria.”

“Oh really is it nice?” Oh dear, already struggling for conversation.

“It was ok, I spent most of life in London, England.” I didn’t know that!

“London, I’ve always wanted to go back to London!”

“You’ve been to London?” I asked surprised.

“Yeah, when I was 18, it was great, every fourth building is a pub and you can drink at 18, not that they really care if you’re 16 or 17.”

“What time of year did you go?” She asked my dad.

“Oh gosh, let me think, I think it was August, so late Summer early Fall, or Autumn as they call it.”

Carmilla and my dad nattered about London for a good 20 minutes all the way through the starters and when the entrees arrived.

“So Mr. Hollis what do you do?”

“I’m a lawyer, I’m semi-retired now, mostly consultancy stuff. I was thinking of running for minor public office.” Yeah he had been thinking of doing that since before I was a teenager. 

“Why don’t you?”

“You’ll never get elected in a Blue state, it would be like running as a Democrat in Texas, just a waste of time,” he said waving the idea away. They managed to stretch out politics for the rest of the meal. She said she didn’t know anything about politics?! I guess she boned up on it to impress my dad! Awww. I barely spoke all the time. When the check arrived they fought over who paid it but my dad insisted. “Just let me pay! And don’t use any of those vampire mind tricks on me!”

Carmilla said goodnight at the exit of the restaurant, and my dad offered to leave us alone but she said he was only here for a short time. We walked to a taxi rank.

“She seems like a very nice young lady,” he declared throwing his arm over my shoulder, “very nice, I’m happy for you honey.”

“Thanks dad that means the world to me,” I replied squeezing his waist tightly. 

“I probably should stop calling her a young lady though.”

“Probably. But it went really well tonight.”

“Considered me assured.”

My phone!

Carmilla: ww2 wasn’t that stressful x

Laura: you did great he loved you! x

Carmilla: it was pleasant x

Pleasant was probably the best I could get. I’ll count tonight as a huge win.


	10. T E N

“Are you in your pjs again?” My dad asked as he entered my apartment, “are you sleeping late again or just not getting dressed?”

“It’s my vacation time,” I whined. “Besides I am actually doing coursework and stuff, I just have like half a year left of student life, I’m making the most of it.”

“Are you making the most of it? Or are you on top of your work so it doesn’t matter? Pick one.”

“Daddy!” I whined.

“Oh daddy is it?” He smiled. “Breaking out the big guns?”

“Uh-huh.” 

“Alright, alright I’ll let it go, now,” he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, “I was thinking of seeing this park and having a lovely stroll.”

“Oh ok.”

“So go get yourself dressed.”

“Ok.” 

I rushed to my bedroom, tripping on my feet, “careful,” I said out loud to myself and heard my dad laugh. I pulled on some jeans and a hoody and grabbed my sunglasses. He didn’t need to know sun was sapping me, I would just have to endure it and act like I’m fine. Perhaps I should start carrying a handkerchief like a British Lord from the 1800s to mop my brow. 

We were walking down the park’s path where Carmilla and I first looked at the night sky and she told me of the constellations. Though I really only took the name ‘Aquilia,’ to memory and went on a kid show’s binge.

“This is a beautiful part of the country,” he said looking around, looking very contented. “Apart from the streetlights I bet this area hasn’t been changed since before I was born.” He stopped and placed his hands on his hips to take in the park. “Is there somewhere to get a small bite to eat around here?” 

“Sure there is a kiosk with some patio furniture near the centre of the park.” 

“Excellent,” he pressed ahead. When we found the little wooden hut he told me to get a table and I picked the only one in the shade. “Here you go sweetheart,” he said passing me a bottle of water and a strawberry ice cream. 

“Thanks daddy.” 

We sat and I enjoyed the cold food and icy water and just being out of the sun. 

“Hey L!” Suzie cried over the park, hurrying towards us. What the actual fuck.

“What do you want?” I asked her. Exhaustion just spreading through my body. 

“I was just walking in the park and saw you and thought I’d say hi!”

“Right just walking through the park were you?”

“Yup! Hi Mr. Hollis, I’m Suzie.”

“Nice to meet you, want to join us?” My dad asked obliviously.

“Sure, if you insist,” she beamed and pulled a chair from another table and joined us. “So L,” every time she called me L I wanted to hit her, “how was your meal with Carmilla?”

“Fine.”

“It was very nice she seems like a nice girl, though I suppose she would act that way in front of me,” my dad elaborated. 

“Yeah she’s really nice,” Suzie said nodding along enthusiastically.

“She is?” I questioned her, she only ever was rude to Suzie. Well deserved as it was. Wait why am I expecting a logical response from this crazy?

“Sure is, you’re a lucky lady,” she smiled at me. I polished off my ice cream cone as quickly as possible. Brain freeze was worth escaping her. 

“Ok dad, let’s press on with our walk,” I said standing up, “cya later.” I said to Suzie.

“Nice meeting you,” my dad said standing too. 

“Ok see you soon L! Nice to meet you Mr Hollis.”

As we walked off I couldn’t resist the urge to look over my shoulder and as I expected she was staring at us walking away with a wide smile. She waved and I ignored it and turned away not reciprocating. 

“She seems like a nice girl.”

“Sure,” I said. Another thing to omit from my father, omission isn’t the same as lying.

We strolled through the park, I felt appalling, drained to pieces by the sun, luckily my dad was totally captivated by the nature walk, and the comments he made didn’t require any response, they were just observations. 

When we got to town we had a very late lunch or a very early dinner. I was ravenous, the sunlight had taken in out of me and I devoured a paini and a platter of fries meant for 2. 

“Hungry?” He asked bemused.

“Uh-huh!” I nodded, mushing fries into my face. “That was yummy, thanks dad.”

“Oh I’m paying am I?”

“I can pay,” I said in a little girl voice, “if you want me to daddy.”

“How did I raise a such little manipulator?” He joked pulling his wallet from his pants as I cocked my head to the side, closed my eyes and grinned as wide and toothy as I could. 

He cited jetlag and went back to his hotel around dusk. I took out my phone, still in the town centre.

Laura: Hey you free? x

Carmilla: yeah x

Laura: wanna hang out? x

Carmilla: sure x

Carmilla: stay where you are x

Stay where I am? Less than a minute later she appeared, she still had her straightened hair, it looked great, she was just checking her nails as if she hadn’t just teleported in front of me. 

“How did you find me so quickly?” I asked.

“My blood.”

“Your blood?”

“I can feel it in you and I know your scent.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a little scary.”

“Can’t it be both.”

“I suppose, anyway how are you?” I asked leaning up kiss her hello. 

“Tired, this is early, early morning for me.”

“Soooo, I was thinking, with all these murders, killings, whatever is there some vampire power you could use to get to the bottom of it? You know clear your name?”

“I haven’t been blamed…”

“You have… And I have by proxy.”

“I suppose, I meant officially, the police got my security footage and confirmed I was there when the bar girl was killed.”

“Betty.”

“Sure, whatever, so what’s the problem?”

“Well she was my friend and she was killed… I’d like some justice.”

“Leave it to the police.”

“Do you think they’ll find a vampire killer?”

“No…” She said very carefully, “not unless he or she was sloppy or a baby.”

“A baby?”

“Just turned. Though they would be or at least should be supervised by their maker.” 

“Maker? Actually that one is pretty self-explanatory. So doesn’t it worry you that there is a killer on the loose? That it’s a vampire? That people think it’s you?” I rattled off.

“The killer part doesn’t bother me, the fact it is a vampire is worrisome, the fact some student types don’t like me doesn’t bother me. I suppose I could ask around at the vamp bar,” her face contorted. “I hate those scummy places. Classless hovels.” 

“Oh the erm…” I struggled to remember the place Betty mentioned. “The Neck and Neck is it?”

“Yeah,” she hung her head and rubbed her forehead with frustration. “I’m embarrassed for all my kind.”

“It is a terrible name…”

“I know! Fine I’ll nose about there some time.” 

“Not without me!”

“I don’t want you to go into that shithole.” 

“Don’t exclude me!” I said stamping my foot like a child. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said then made a dramatic deal of sighing, “come on then.”

“Now?”

“No time like the present I suppose.”

“Right… Ok… Ok let’s do it!” I nodded with what I hoped was determination and waited for her to scoop me up and superspeed our way there. 

This was the longest time I’d spent moving at this speed and it made me feel a little dizzy, around a minute later we shuddered to a halt and shapes and buildings and colors reformed. 

“You ok cupcake?” 

“Hmm,” I mumbled. “We’re here?” I managed.

“It’s just round the corner.”

I looked around we were on a street full of closed clothes shops. We were in the town over.

“Ok, I’m ready I think. Am I under dressed for a club by the way?”

“Not this club, it’ll be full of losers in black latex. I think wearing a sack would be fine in this shithole.” 

She took hold of my hand and walked around the street corner, there was a club entrance and a terrible neon sign saying the name with a single bouncer and a cordoned off line behind a red rope. The bouncer was a long haired, tall thin man, with a mountain man beard in a leather, knee length trench coat. Black of course. We walked up to him.

He sniffed at the air when we approached and looked Carm up and down and wordlessly unclipped the rope to give us entry. She pushed opened the door for me, still not letting go of my hand. “Don’t leave my side cutie,” she whispered into my ear.

It was worse than I could have expected. Everything was crimson and black. There were two dance floors with a raised platform separating them, with booths and small circular tables with stools bolted to the floor littered around. I had suspected it to be gross maybe a little scary but it was worse than I could have imagined. It was full of a cross section of people, goth looking types, regularly dressed people and people dressed up. We went over to the bar and the barmaid came over immediately.

“Good evening, what can I get you?” 

“A bud lite please.”

“A negative.”

“Coming right up.” 

Carmilla threw some dollars on the bar lazily and turned to lean back on the bar. She looked absolutely disgusted, like the place smelt terrible. She surveyed everyone in the place the scowl on her face deepening as she went. 

“Thank you,” I said to the barmaid when she returned with our drinks. I did not expect my evening to go like this. I felt a snag at my hand as Carmilla dragged me to the far end of the bar. 

“Christian,” she said to a man in a suit who was standing stock still at the end of the bar, the corner of the club. “I want to ask a couple questions.”

“Ah, Carmilla I never expected to see you in my establishment. No hello? No pleasantries?” He said, he had a South African accent. 

“Questions,” she insisted. 

“Say hello first, and who’s this?” He turned to me and smiled widely, revealing his pointed canines. 

“She’s mine,” she snarled tightening her grip on my hand. 

“No disrespect Ms Karnstein, no disrespect. I was just being friendly, can you remember what it’s like? To be moderately civil to your fellow man?”

“We’re not human, now questions.”

“Fine. Shoot,” he said, still smiling leaning casually back against the bar, folding his arms across his chest.

“You know these murders in Silas?”

“Of course, the police have made several probing inquiries at my establishment. Not the politest bunch.”

“I want to find the vampire responsible. Do you know who it is?”

“No, I don’t know, I don’t care really, whoever it is, it’s their business.”

“You don’t care about the dead people?” I piped up.

“Not really,” he said turning his focus back to me. “The sloppiness annoys me, it annoys all of us, you should always dispose of your prey, if you still hunt.”

“Well they haven’t been.”

“Can’t help you Karnstein.”

“I think you’re bullshitting me,” she said.

“What if am I, what if I’m not.”

“If you are I’ll rip your fuckin’ arm off and slowly push it through your chest until I can shake your hand from behind,” she snarled. Jesus Christ Carmilla. 

“Throwing your age around are you? Is that why you moved to small town America?”

“I hear talking but I don’t hear an answer.”

“You should lighten up.”

“Stop pushing my fucking patience.”

“Fine, fine,” he held his hands up in surrender, he may have been playing it cool but it was clear that her violent threat had rattled him. “In all honesty I don’t know who, but I have heard whisperings and rumors flying around.”

“Such as?”

“Someone new to town, most likely a male as all his victims save one are hetrosexual women. Definitely a loner.”

“Oh I couldn’t have worked that shit out.”

“I’ve told you everything I have.”

“You’ve told me fuck all.”

“Well I’ll let you know if anything crops up.”

“Thanks,” I said. Trying anything to break the tense atmosphere.

“You’re welcome sweetheart,” he smiled at me, it turned my stomach. 

“Do you want to die Christian?” Carmilla spat.

“Just being polite.”

“Dickhead,” she murmured under her breath. We walked back to our original place at the bar and I tried and failed to hop on the stool, it made me feel like a child when Carmilla grabbed me under each arm and plonked me down.

“Thanks Carm,” I said drinking deeply from my beer. That was pretty intense. I guess she was one of the older vampires in this area, which made me feel safer, she seemed to have no regard for her own safety. 

“Do you have a picture of Betty on your phone?” 

“Yeah, well no but I can find one quickly,” I said taking out my phone and loading up Facebook, a site I hadn’t visited in an age, all the abuse I got on a daily basis made it unusable. I typed her name into the search bar and pulled up a photo of her. “Here we go!” She took my phone off me.

“Hey you,” she called to the barmaid, who scowled and made her way over.

“Another drink?”

“No, see this girl?” She held up the phone, the woman nodded, “has she been here?”

“We don’t talk about clientele.”

“Well you’re going to talk to me,” she said forcefully. “Do you recognize her?”

“Yeah,” she replied reluctantly.

“Well…”

“Well what?”

“Who did she hang out with?” 

“I don’t know his name… He floats in late on occasion picks up a girl and leaves.”

“What does he look like?”

“Tall, handsome, wears a suit normally, dark hair.”

“Sounds like that vampire who came into our bar,” I said, “Will I think his name was.”

“Hmmm,” Carmilla mused. “Ok go away,” she waved off the bartender, who frowned and sauntered away to tend to other patrons. “That’s interesting.”

“I thought you said it was nothing?”

“I barely checked.”

“Hey!”

“I was trying to impress you at the time,” she shrugged, “now I’ve got my claws in you…” She smirked at me, the smile growing as I pouted. Annoyed she wasn’t that honest but pleased she admitted she was trying hard. “I can be honest.”

“So… Where do we go from here?” I asked.

“I don’t know, I can’t hunt someone down if they don’t want me to find them and I’m sure as hell not hanging around in this dump waiting for him.”

“How do you know him?” I asked following her lead and standing up and walking to the door.

“He’s my brother.”

“What?!”

“Not my actual brother, he’s only around 100, not sure if that. We share a maker.”

“Why haven’t you told me this before?”

“Because I hate them both, I left the ‘family,’ before he even joined. He’s cruel and vicious and takes a lot of pleasure in hurting humans.” 

“Why?”

“It can be fun…” She shrugged. “Not the time, I said before vampires who stay with other vampires lose any humanity they once had, and if they were nasty as a human they are especially nasty.”

“So he’s bad news…”

“Not if I see him… Why the fuck would he come here? I wanted to escape all the rigamarole of this bullshit.”

“What will happen if you see him?”

“I’ll rip his heart out and eat it in front of him as he dies.”

“Jesus.”

“I’m dead serious.”

“Well brush your teeth after.”

“What? You’re an idiot,” she laughed, the deep frown leaving her face. 

“Where do we go from here?” I repeated.

“Has that Betty chick had her funeral yet?”

“No… It’s next week.”

“So she’ll be at a funeral parlor?”

“Yeah…”

“Do you know which one?”

“Yeah…”

“Let’s go then.”

“What?!”

“I need to look at the corpse.”

“What?!”

“Do you want to find the killer or not?”

“I guess… Why didn’t you check in the morgue?”

“In front of the police?”

“Fair enough. Ok,” I exhaled hard reading myself, “ok let’s go.”

She picked me up and whoosh!  
We weren’t at the funeral parlor we were at the back of a small furniture store I looked around confused. 

“Where are we?”

“At the back, I’m not walking through security cameras,” she explained.

She still had me in her arms as the most terrifying thing that had ever happened occurred as she leapt about 60 feet in the air and landed gracefully on the third storey roof. She let me down to the floor and I placed my feet down uncertainly. That wasn’t nice. I put my hands on my thighs and sucked in a few lungfuls of air leaning over. 

“You could have warned me.”

She just laughed as she went over to the fire escape on the roof and pull the knob out of the handle.

“Careful!”

“I can screw it back on when we leave.”

“Can you?”

“I hope so. If not I’ll bend the metal in place.”

She picked up the knob and placed it in her pocket.

“What about fingerprints?”

“I don’t have any, you should cover your hands with your sleeves though, you’ll get your clumsy hands on everything.”

“Humph!” Though to be fair she was probably right as I pulled the arms of my hoodie down over my hands. “What about internal security cameras?”

“I really doubt they’ll have any, if they do I doubt they’d check them for no reason so don’t disturb anything, if there are you’ll have to wait while I check fast. Why would a funeral home need heavy security? No one pays cash,” she explained as she lead the way down into the dark.

“I can’t see,” I whispered as her hand snaked back up and grabbed my hand.

“Don’t trip over your goofy feet.”

I was going to complain but that was a good point. I held tight and took very measured, careful steps into the blackness. We made our way into the bowels of the building, winding down into the dark. She knew the way. We paused.

“You sure you’re ready for this cutie?”

“Guess so.”

She took out her phone and put the flashlight on. We were in front of a gurney covered with a sheet. Almost the same as a morgue. She whipped it back, and there was Betty. Pale as snow, gaunt and lifeless. Carmilla started sniffing at her neck wound.

“Ok got it.”

“That’s it?”

“I needed a scent.”

“Ok let’s go.”

Outside she was fiddling with the doorknob pushing it back on. She turned back to me when she had finished.

“You ok cutie?”

“I just expected something more I guess.”

“Like?”

“I dunno…”

“Some weird vampire blood magic?” She smirked. 

“Pretty much.”

“Come on,” she said scooping me up again and before I could protest she leapt from roof and landed a good distance away from the funeral home. My head felt weird, like all the blood had rushed to the top quickly and drained straight away. I shook my head. “All better,” she smiled at me.

“Yeah,” I said, before hurling sick all over the street floor. “Now I am.”

“A nice puddle of evidence right there,” she laughed. “Could you have at least aimed for the sewer grate?” 

“Nuurgh, not ok,” I mumbled realizing it wasn’t passing. “Can you take me home?” I whimpered.

“Ok, don’t be sick on me.”

“No promises.”

She literally tucked me into bed like a child. “Are you tuckered out?” I nodded, yawning sleepily. “It has been a busy day for you hasn’t it?” Her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ok I’ll let myself out.”

“Bye, bye,” I said half dreamily already drifting into sleep. I woke to my phone ringing. Danny? What the hell.

“Hello?”

“Hey Laura, it’s Danny.”

“Ok.”

“Look I was wondering if you could work today?”

“Oh now you want something?”

“Look, yeah, look I, I’m sorry ok I know I’ve been a bitch recently.”

“Understatement of the century.”

“I know, I’m sorry I really am, if you can come in I’ll give you my share of the tips?”

“Ok fine.” That was a tempting offer. 

“I’m not just saying sorry ‘cause I need you to work Laur, I just… Can we talk in person?”

“I’ll swing by early.”

“Thanks, and thanks for helping me out and sorry once again.” 

The phone line went dead. That was weird. Very weird. Maybe she had come to her senses all of a sudden. I did miss her as a friend, it had been so long since we’d even spoken cordially. It made me a little nervous, I wonder if this is going to be a bullshit apology or she just is desperate for staff.

My bar uniform was in the wash, I normally wouldn’t need it until the weekend, so I had to speed dry it. I showered while it was tumbling dry and got changed. It was almost depressing to have to work when you didn’t think you were, but the extra money was always helpful. 

My clothes were slightly wet. Eugh. I tried to walk in the sun but it was still uncomfortable to be out in the bright light. I dodged and weaved through shade to get to the bar. I shot my dad and Carmilla a text each to let them know I was working tonight. I had to wait outside the bar for a couple moments to compose myself and prepare for this.

I swung the door open, Danny was sitting in one of the booths facing the door. That was super creepy. She looked awful, sicker than ever and had an odd plastered on grin. 

“Hey Laura,” she said and waved.

“Yeah hi,” I replied slowly closing the distance between us and slid into the seat opposite her.

“So, I know this might be a bit awkward at first but it’ll get better, get easier and obviously I need to apologize again.”

“Ok apology accepted.”

“Great, that’s great, I just wasn’t happy with the situation you know, but I see you’re happy with your vampire girlfriend, that she isn’t a bad person it’s just…”

The door swung open and Suzie walked in followed by Kirsch deep in conversation.

“Shit, can we talk after work?” She asked. She looked really anxious, desperate almost. 

“Ok.”

“Terrific, you’re the best,” she got up and greeted the others and I set about setting up the placemats and coasters for the dining room. Suzie joined me and talked incessantly about just how lovely it was seeing me in the park with my dad. Service was slower on a weeknight and not wanting to be there in the first place made time just drip away. By time the night was coming to a close I felt like I had done a double shift.We closed at 11.30 instead of 1 and Kirsch and Suzie both left leaving Danny and I.

“Grab a squat,” she said “I’ll grab us a couple drinks.”

“Thanks,” I said as she slid me a beer as I sat on a stool by the bar. “This beer tastes a little off…”

“Yeah it does a little,” she agreed sipping hers. “I think it’s the end of the keg, that or the pipes need to be cleaned.”

“Sure,” I took another couple sips, it tasted weird and pushed it away. “I think I’ll have a bottle.”

“No, no, no, no,” she rambled off frantically. “We get this for free as staff.” I don’t remember that being the case. “Anyway, so yeah as I was saying before, I am sorry. I heard you had dinner with your girlfriend and your dad and if you’re that serious then I should stop being an ass… Sorry I’m rambling.”

“It’s ok,” I slurred a bit, I think the long day had taken it out of me I felt a little light headed. I pushed the beer away I didn’t want anymore.

“So yeah, I’ve been thinking about it lot, and I know you took a lot of shit at school and around the streets and you were hurt weren’t you? It’s just, it’s just, this isn’t coming out right…”

She paused as I heard the bar door swing open. I turned to say we’re closed and froze in place. I recognized him immediately. In the dark suit, the maniacal smile and dark eyes. Will… I turned to Danny but she was grinning as wide as possible looking at him with adoration.

“I got her here and kept her and gave her the roofie like you asked!” She babbled out gleefully. Rushing over to him and trying to hug him but was pushed aside. Roofie! What the fuck. My heart raced so fast it felt like it might explode.

“You did well,” Will drawled petting her head like a creature, “now lock the door.” 

She scampered over to the door and pulled her keys from her pocket and locked us in. Oh no, I started to slip off the chair, my body becoming limp and unresponsive to my control. 

“Grab her put her in that chair,” he commanded and Danny grabbed me by the back of each arm and pulled me to the chair then returned to Will’s side.

“Danny?” I mumbled, “why?”

She just looked at him expectantly. 

“Don’t talk to her talk to me,” he smiled sliding into the chair opposite me. “So, you’re my sister’s little pet,” he commented looking at the neck punctures on my throat. I was already feeling a little more lucid trying to blink and clear out my head. “Ah, my sister’s blood is potent, it’s pushing the drug out of your system.” He rested his elbows on the table and placed all his fingers together tapping them against each other.

“Fuck you,” I slurred out.

“Aww, kitty’s kitty has claws,” he smirked. “Do you know how much I hate my dear sister? I can answer that for you, it’s a lot. However I can’t do to much about that. In a one on one confrontation she would decimate me. However. However, I can wound where I can’t kill. I think hurting you would REALLY hurt her.”

“Fuc…”

“Fuck me yes, yes very good,” he smiled waving his wrist and hand aristocratically. “Is she off searching the trail, the scent I left at the funeral palor?”

Oh shit.

“Then I kill you and all the murders get pinned on her. I TAKE YOU FROM HER,” he shouted slamming his fist into the table breaking it to splinters. “Then I make her life hell, running from the police.” He started laughing. “I’ve given just enough of my blood to this whore,” he gestured to Danny who was looking at his like he was a god, “to addict her, she’s trained well to back this story up. More than just a bloodbag.”

“Anything for you,” she piped up.

“Shut your fucking mouth, when spoken to, when spoken to,” he turned to her angrily. He calmed down instantly, “I would have laid some more plans to hurt her, but you, I’m guessing it was you my dear sister isn’t very proactive, apathy is her greatest vice, started sniffing around my trail. False as it may have been, yet has forced me to act.”

“If apathy is her’s then arrogance is yours,” I spat.

“Perhaps,” he shrugged lazily. “What do you mean I shouldn’t reveal my evil plan!” He laughed, “what harm could it do?”

The door splintered off its hinge and Carmilla was standing there. Oh that harm. She with quivering with rage, her eyes totally black her fangs bared.

“Carm! AH,” I cried as Will grabbed my neck and held me as a shield.

“Let her go!”

“Why, you’ll just kill me, I still have a bargaining chip with her kitty. Nice to see you by the way.” 

“You’re dead either way.”

“No, I’m not I let her go you let me go, you kill me I’ll kill her.”

“Fuck!” She kicked a chair against the wall and it shattered into pieces. “Fine I’ll let you go IF you let her go.”

“Ok, dammit, ok, you see that alley outside the bar?” He asked as Carmilla glanced round he let me go and was gone. Danny screamed and ran out the back to follow him yelling his name like a madman. 

“You ok cupcake?” She asked, her voice full of concern twinged with fury, “Laura?” She bit her wrist and made me drink a little of her blood. It helped.

“I’m ok, I think.”

“Look stay here, stay still I have to go after him, I have to get him now before the trail goes cold.”

“Ok.”

She kissed my forehead and disappeared in a blur. I sat down on the floor and tried to catch my breath, refocus my mind. I went to the bar and got a glass of water and a shot of vodka to calm my nerves. I held the back of bar as tight as I could. I took a few more deep breathes and turned back round to see Suzie. What now?

“Hey L!” She said and swung something right at my face.

Everything was black, I tried opening an eye and bursts of agony and colors exploded through my vision. My head felt like it was on fire, actual fire burning in my forehead and left side of my face. I shut my eyes tight, the pain not leaving. Not reducing at all. What happened? I couldn’t focus, couldn’t think, couldn’t remember. I blinked open one eye at a time, for a second at a time, then a couple seconds. I tried to move but I couldn’t, my arms wouldn’t move more than few inches up and down.

The lights of the flickered on and Suzie was standing in a doorway smiling like a freak. Her hair was back to its normal color. I tried to familiarize myself with my new surroundings. I was in a white room, there were pictures of Carmilla and I, and me from college, at the bar and leaving and entering my apartment. What the hell. I was seated facing the door ropes restricting my arms and ankles. 

“Hey L!” She grinned skipping over to me.

“You fucking lunatic.”

“Oh I’m a fucking lunatic! I am? AM I?!” She burst into mad laughter. “I just wanted to be your friend L and you wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

“You’re a stalker and a nut!”

“AM I?! We’ll see who is the lunatic now!” She shouted at me.

“Carmilla will come for me…”

“I doubt she’ll find you, this apartment, this apartment,” she span around with her arms outstretched. “Has been prepared for an age, silver chains over the door. Silver spray over soundproof boards on all the walls. Those anti-vampire militia sell very useful supplies.” 

“Fuck you.”

“But you wouldn’t would you? You wouldn’t go for a girl like me? Rather cavort around with undead scum?!” She walked over to me and pulled a razor blade out of her pocket and started running it along my arm, I screamed in pain. She knelt by me and licked the blood from my arms then tried to kiss me I tried to bite her. She just kissed my cheek. “Am I not dead enough for you? Not old enough? Huh?!” She pushed the razor deep into my arm leaving it bedded there. “Now I have to get changed for work! You slept all night and most of the day silly!” She said in a sing song voice lighting poking the tip of my nose.

I just sat there and whimpered as she left the room I was in. She came back in the Anvil uniform. “See you later baby,” she sang and kissed my cheek then slapped me across the same cheek.

She left and I think I might have passed out again. When I woke up my arm was flashing pains up and down, my head was still pounding and ringing with pain. My skin had healed around the razor blade sticking out of my arm. Carm couldn’t save me. Couldn’t get here. There was only one recourse not to die here. Not to get raped and tortured. 

I started rocking my shoulders left and right, left and right to build up momentum until I fell. My arm was slightly loosened and I was able to drag the tip of the protruding razor against the floor until it fell out cutting it’s way free. It hurt like hell but came free. I kicked with my legs moving my captive body and chair backwards until I could grab the blade. I was fumbling with it until it was facing my wrist and I pushed it, screaming at the top of my lungs into the veins and started hammering my wrist and forearm into the chair arm embedding it in the vein then began sawing back and forth pushing the blade as far back and as deep as I could manage. Wooziness and dizziness overtook me but I kept sawing and pushing my forearm back and forth. My arm was slick with warm blood and it was pooling over the floor. I could barely keep my eyes open, but I kept doing it until I was swallowed by oblivion.


	11. E L E V E N

I stood up, I was in a clearing in the woods, there was a stone table, with two high backed armchairs also made from granite at each head of the table. I walked up to the table to examine it. There were black platters and goblets heaving with luscious fruits and clear water. I tried to reach out and picked up a bowl full of the juiciest red grapes I’d ever seen. I pulled one from the stem and popped it into my mouth and burst it between my teeth and copper exploded across my tongue. I reached up quickly to pull the skin from my mouth and my fingers were stained crimson. 

I picked up a goblet of water and drank half of it to cleanse my pallet but it solidified and fractured into ash, I tried to spit it out but it wouldn’t come, it was sticking to my teeth. I frantically tried to pull it, the residue was caking and I tried to scream as my teeth came loose and fell from my head under the lightest touch. What the hell. I went to my knees to pick them up and they liquified into the grass, diffusing into the earth.

I fell back to sit on the grass as the sky turned blacker and darker, the sun glared bright and flashed as if a missile had just exploded and blinding me completely. When I managed to open them back up the white sun had been replaced with a blood red moon. I leapt back up to my feet and had an irresistible desire to scream, throwing my head back I let out all my anger and frustration in a cry which evolved into an animal’s guttural, primal roar. 

I shook my head and stretched my shoulders. I put my fingers to my mouth and all my teeth had come back, each one was pointed from front to back; shaped into a wicked point. Hey a bunny rabbit. It was hopping on top of the table, adorable. I went to pick it up but it fled from me, hopping down from the granite shelf to the grassy forest floor. Here bunny! I followed it away from the clearing, the forest path became darker and the vegetation more gnarled. 

I walked on unperturbed. Where did the bunny go? I turned a corner oh there it was. Dead and skinned in a line of other dead furry creatures. I approached, they were in a shape, what was it called? A baphomet? I had the urge to reach my hand down to the bloodied remains and taste their guts. There was a rumbling behind me and I span to see a huge wave of water crashing tumultuously through the forest path it had a voice, crying ‘Laura!’ shrill and high pitched as it knocked to me to the ground. I closed my eyes so it didn’t sting and it temporarily blind me.

I was on the floor and I could hear a voice crying my name, whose voice was that? It sounded familiar from a past life maybe. Something struck me in the face then again. My name was called out over and over but it became fainter and more disconnected and I fell into the abyss once more.

I was in an ancient passage, stone walls with flaming torches hanging in brackets along the pathway. I turned behind me but it was a dead end. I moved forward, a low drumming sound was reverberating through the walls coming from the end of the corridor. I moved towards it. It was ominous, a ritualistic beat. The torches became dimmer and dimmer in the seemingly never ending pathway. The drum vibrated through the stone and my feet sending hard tremors into my heart.

The corridor narrowed until I had to crouch and hunch my shoulders to continue, the drumming was deafening now, a rhythmic beat and I followed it. I had to get on my hands and knees to crawl through the dark, I could see through the pitch blackness, it had a grey tinge but I could see. The chamber widened and I entered a church, there were no pews and at the head the crucifix was inverted. In front of the upside down cross was a demonic looking creature, red skin with black eyes and horned standing in front of an altar. Either side of it were skeletons with scraps of rotted skin still hanging to patches of their bones, chained at the neck beating at a large drum placed in front of them each.

I wasn’t scared, it felt normal to be in this place. I approached the altar under the gaze of the demon. The devil. The drumming sped up the closer I got. On the altar was a black sheet covering… Covering something. The monster pointed out with a claw, razor sharp nails raking against the altar and with the other arm beckoned me closer. As I walked up the steps to the head of the church it whipped off the sheet to reveal a little girl. It was me. As a child, restrained and unconscious. 

In one sudden, sharp motion he used both hands to rip apart the ribcage, the child me woke and began screaming, the now on display heart started frantically beating in sync with the fast drumming. It tore the heart out, warm blood splashing my face and torso, and held it out like an offering to me. I knew what to do, it felt right. I took it from the demon and put it to my mouth and tore out a chunk and swallowed, then another, then another and it was gone. When I swallowed the last piece the child Laura stopped wailing and turned to ashes, the drumming stopped and the monster in front of me knelt with a bowed horned head to me. 

My leg at the knee began to ache then bleed and I felt pain rocking through me. I closed my eyes and opened them to see Suzie leaning over me. I was in a bathtub.

“Laura?!” She squeaked, she sounded terrified, her eyes wide with shock. I backhanded her hard and she flew across the bathroom, the tiles falling from the wall as she slumped down eyes flickering and blood running down the wall.I looked down at my leg, there was a hand saw embedded in it. Fuck, she was going to cut me up. I wrenched it from my leg and marvelled as the wound closed as soon as the blade was pulled from me. 

The most amazing aroma danced across my nose. I sniffed at the air and turned to face Suzie, it was the blood, I crawled from the tub and over to her on my hands and knees sniffing the air around her. I could hear her heart thud, I could feel the whoosh of the blood circulating in her veins, the crackle of movement in her bones and ligaments as she twitched. I licked the wall. It was indescribable… Ambrosia. It tasted like life itself. I pushed my hand down on Suzie’s head to prop myself up as I ran my tongue over the cold tiles getting as much of the crimson liquid as I could. I stopped as my tongue ran over a pointed tooth. My canines they were tipped with a point and longer than before. As I felt out the new teeth my chin and bottom half of my face erupted in agony.

Suzie was spraying something upwards at me and it was tearing skin and bone off. I lashed out with my elbow above her head driving the tip down, I heard a crack and the spray stopped as the skull gave way. I fell back. My face on fire. I scrunched my eyes tight and a wave of darkness overcame me again.

I was in a box, a dark box, I could hear muffled voices coming through the wood. My arms were folded over my chest, was this a casket? It wasn’t disconcerting it was comfortable if anything. I pushed up at the lid and it swung open, the muffled voices turned to gasps and screams. I sat up and turned my torso to see a wake. My wake. My dad was there, front row wearing a black suit his face twisted in shock. All my friends were there, it was a small congregation, just my dad, Kirsch, Laf, Danny and Perry and a vicar standing over me.

“Laura Hollis?” The vicar spoke looking down at me holding his hand out. Nature took over. I grabbed his hand pulled him into the casket and with my teeth ripped his throat out pouring blood over me coating my body crimson. I roughly shoved his lifeless body out of the way and leapt from the casket to face the people there, who were already turning to flee. I moved fast to the door blocking their way. I snapped Danny’s neck, backhanded Kirsch and grabbed my dad and tore out his throat discarding his lifeless form before moving on to Laf and Perry. The screams died in their throat as I snuffed them out. I was growling, an animal’s growl rumbling from deep in my chest. 

I jolted back to reality. Suzie was lying in a pool of her own blood, her leg twitching, she was still alive, I could hear a faint heartbeat despite the fracture in her skull. I threw my hands up to my face, there were no wounds. I crawled over to Suzie sniffing at the air. Clenched in her hand was an aerosol can, ‘liquid silver,’ that must have been why it hurt so much. I took it from her and threw it into the bath she had planned on dismembering in. 

This stalker bitch, kidnapped me, cut me was going to hack me apart. The rage grew and grew and I slapped her cheek.

“Wake up!” My voice didn’t sound like my own. “Wake the fuck up!”

Her eyes flickered open for a few seconds but lost focus once again and closed. I stood and went to the sink, I cast no reflection in the mirror over it. I took a cup with a toothbrush in and poured the content out, filling it with water and cast it into her face. She twitched again and mumbled incomprehensible words. I knelt back down, pushing her hair from her neck, there was a new sensation in my mouth, my gums expanding as my canine teeth elongated into tipped fangs. My vision tunnelled into the vein in neck, the pulse of it I lowered my head and sunk my new fangs into her pulse point and slurped at the red nectar which flooded from it. I couldn’t stop, her weak hand struck at my arms, pathetically trying to push me off, the feeling only got better, as I heard her heart slow I pulled my head back and threw it side to side growling, reveling in frenzy. 

I drained her dry until the twitching stopped and I fell back, my chin and front covered in her blood. I moved back on my hands knocking over something. I glanced it was a tub of a pH 1 acid. Jesus, I guess to melt my skeleton once she’d sawn me to pieces. I realized I’d stopped breathing and tried it out, then stopped. Huh. That was weird. Darkness was overcoming me again, I felt exhausted and oblivion swallowed me.

I was in my college, near the entrance, I tried to exit through the main door but the sunlight scorched me. I moved quickly, ducking back into the halls. The place was abandoned, I kept walking into the building, step after step ringing an echo off the lockers and walls. I reached the main stairwell and jogged up into the largest auditorium in the place. Standing at the head of the classroom was a gorgeous middle aged woman who glanced up at me smiling.

“Welcome to my family,” she called up to me. “I’m Lilita.”

“Where am I?”

“Nowhere.”

I jolted back to reality. I was back in Suzie’s bathroom along with her corpse and ruined clothes and acid and saws. I pulled myself to my feet. Went to the mirror forgetting it wouldn’t help at all. I needed a phone. I guess if this lunatic, dead lunatic now, had made precautions to stop Carmilla getting in I now wouldn’t be able to get out. I went to pull the door open and ripped the handle off. Here goes nothing, I kicked the door and it splintered in half another kick and it was broken. I looked back at Suzie, she was a red bloody mess, I felt nothing, nothing at all. I just killed a person, ended their life and if anything I was glad, perhaps a little sad there was no more blood. 

I wandered out into her apartment, I walked into the spare room where she had held me, the chair was still tipped over, there a pool of my dried blood where I’d slit my own wrist and discarded severed rope. I supposed that was where Suzie had cut me free thinking me dead. There an empty bucket and behind it a table with my phone, wallet and keys and a hammer. Oh terrific. She had smashed my phone to pieces with the hammer and bent all my keys making them useable and snapped all my bank cards. A snarl of anger erupted from me unexpectedly. I ripped the pictures she had taken of me off the wall. Then I went back to her corpse and rifled through her pockets and yes! I found her phone. It was locked… Oh of course it would be locked. I suppose I could call 911 but, I surveyed the carnage in the bathroom and decided against it. 

I searched the apartment and there were silver chains over every possible exit and touching one was like pressing my hand to a fire. Her iPad had a passcode as did her laptop. Jesus, there was no escape from this place. I need something to break the window and to move the chains aside. I could use Suzie’s ribcage, if I snapped it to bits… No that’s insane. I went into her bedroom and got undressed out of my horribly stained clothes and slipped on a pair of her track pants and a black t-shirt. Hangers! I could use coat hangers!

I grabbed as many wire ones as a I could and bent them and hooked them into each other. Until I had several long hooks, returning to her lounge where I had been held captive in I hooked the chains to each other pinning them away from the very middle of the window. I used the last one to pull the blinds wide. It was just after midnight, I couldn’t push through the silver… Unless… I pushed my arm into the t-shirt and tried to use the fabric as a buffer between my skin and the chains but it burnt just the same. Ok I guess I had one chance at this. I couldn’t peek out the window to see just how high I was. I would just have to trust in my unknown, new healing power and hope it would be enough. I stuffed my broken personal effects into the pockets of the track pants.

I took a few steps back and ran and dived twisting my body sideways as I went, the silver chains scraped and burt my sides but I crashed through them shattering the window pane and plummeted down, smashing into the street several floors below. Ow. I tried to push myself up, my arm was broken, definitely, it had cracked viciously on impact and was folded inwards over my chest. I raised my other hand and snapped it back into place. The pain was evaporating quickly. The cuts and breaks knitted themselves back together.

I looked back up the trajectory I had just taken and wow… The night sky was breathtaking… Not that I had any breath to take anymore. I could see deep space, the constellations were vivid, as were the planets, there were far off stars and solar systems that never used to be just blackness. I knew I had to move off, I could enjoy this later.

I limped a few paces before my legs fully healed and moved faster, until the world around me seemed to be moving slower, or was I just this fast? I moved at this pace until I was in the park in the centre of town, I stopped to catch my bearings, then moved on to my apartment. My keys were useless, I didn’t know what day it was, but Laf and Perry had to be back by now. I pressed the buzzer, pressed it over and over. I could hear movement inside, footsteps and hushed voices.

The speaker crackled to life.

“LAURA?! WHAT THE FUCK!” Laf’s voice rang out. The buzz unlocking door and I tried to walk in but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move forwards, my body shut down on the threshold, like there was a force field preventing me for moving further. “Laura?” Laf was at the bottom of the stairs now in their pajamas. “What are you doing?”

“You have to invite me in…” I told them.

“What?! Laura what has happened to you?” Their eyes wide with shock and concern, I could hear their heartbeat speeding up and their breath coming out harder. 

“Please, just invite me in.”

“Ok, Laura plea… Actually you have to promise not to hurt me or Perry.”

“What?!”

“Promise me Laura.”

“Of course, I promise.” I felt a wave of anger towards them for even asking me that, but quashed it quickly. 

“Laura Hollis please come in.”

I walked up following them up the stairs. When I got in and Laf closed the door, Perry ran into me hugging me tightly.

“Where have you been? Are you ok?”

“Fine, I guess.”

“Come, come sit down, I’ll make you some hot chocolate,” she said dragging me by the hand to the kitchen table and placed me down.

“I don’t think she wants hot chocolate Perr,” Laf said quietly. Perry looked to me and I shook my head to agree with Laf. Perry sat down opposite me her face rife with concern.

Laf went to the fridge to busy themselves, then placed something in the microwave.

“What happened Laur?” Perry asked in a small, scared voice, “Carmilla was here earlier, she called us during the day, your dad has been in a panic.”

Where do I even start? Laf came down and sat and slung a bottle of the artificial blood we kept for Carm to me. Perry stared at it her mouth opening and closing unable to form words. I picked it up and sniffed it. It didn’t smell as good as Suzie’s blood, but it was enticing. I downed the whole thing.

“Another?” Laf asked. I just nodded. We sat in silence waiting for the microwave to finish and I downed the second one. “We only have one more… Do you want that as well?” I nodded again without looking up. Again a long silence waiting for the ping and I downed it again. I could definitely drink another few still. 

“Do we have any black paint?” I asked finally breaking the silence.

“Erm, no, we don’t have any paint…” Laf replied. Perry was still in shock.

“Ok, I need black paint.”

“Why?”

“To paint my windows black.” 

“Ok… Ok. Look I’ll be honest here L I don’t have anything to really say, I don’t know where to begin.”

“Ok.” 

“That’s it?”

“Are you…” Perry started then shook her head and stopped mid sentence. 

“I think it’s pretty obvious she is Perr.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” I snapped. They both jumped back. My friends were looking at me with fear, they were scared of me.

“Sorry L.”

We just sat there, I don’t know how long, but I couldn’t think of anything to say, how could I start, breaking into a funeral home? No. Danny being a slave to my girlfriend’s brother who tried to kill me? No. Being kidnapped by a stalker? No. Being tortured and cutting my own wrist open? No. Tearing the stalker’s throat out and drinking every drop of her blood? No. There was nothing to say. Hey guys I’m a vampire now… Jesus. I hadn’t even really acknowledged that fact truly. That walk through the park with my dad was the last sunlight I would ever see.

“Laura?” Laf broke the quiet, “we have to sleep, we have been up worrying since we got back and you went missing. Can we talk tomorrow? I guess after sundown.”

“Ok… Can you cut me a key?”

“Er, sure.”

“I bro… Lost mine.”

“Ok. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

“Night Laura,” Perry whispered. Following Laf’s lead into their bedroom. I went to my room after a few moments and just lay in bed. I wasn’t remotely tired. I suppose the middle of the night is now the middle of the day for me. I was restless, I couldn’t just lie here all night. I got back out of bed and got changed into jeans and a black button down shirt. I doubted I would need a jacket. I took Perry’s keys from the bowl in the hall and closed the door behind me as quietly as possible. 

I felt drawn to walk in the park. It was the only really nice, secluded spot in town. I attempted to work out how move in vampiric speed, it took a few tries of just running down the street like a mad person but eventually time seemed to slow for everything but me. It was will power, I had to focus on moving at that speed, at least I think it was. I’ll have to work out the kinks… I guess I have eternity. I came to a halt in the park. 

There was a cold wind, it was refreshing, reinvigorating. I walked down to the river which cut the park in half and stared into the depths. I could see the riverbed in the dark, the tiny life forms and vegetation living and growing in the water. I could hear laughter and giggling, it snapped me out of my trance. I moved towards the noise. 

It was three students from college, drinking from beer cans and I could smell pot burning. From over 100 feet I recognized one of them. She was a blonde member of the ‘no fangs,’ group who blamed me for David’s death. Oh she’ll come to regret that. I smiled as I sauntered over happily. 

“Good evening!” I called out to them and their laughter stopped immediately. “Up to no good?”

“The fuck are you doing here vampire fucker?” The blonde girl spat out at me.

“Enjoying the night.”

“Come nocturnal have you? You undead whore!” One of the two men jibed. 

“You have no idea,” I said turning my back on them to stare up at the sky. “It’s a beautiful night.”

“You’re right Lisa she’s a fucking nutcase.”

I heard a beer can flying through the air and I moved, time slowing, the container moving like a falling feather and I got behind them and time returned to normal as the can sailed off into nothing.

“Not the best throw,” I commented from behind them.

They leapt to their feet, one of the men tripping and falling before managing to get up. They grouped together protectively in a huddle facing me.

“Please Laura we don’t want no trouble,” the girl called Lisa said.

“Oh it’s Laura now? Not whore? Not dyke? Not vampire fucker?” I mocked as cruelly as possible. 

“Please…” Her voice was desperate. I felt my canines detracting and I snarled at them, her fear was attractive, I took a step forward and they took a step back collectively. 

“Don’t move any further or you’ll really regret,” I said menacingly, walking very slowly and deliberately forward. “It really is a nice night…” I said wistfully staring up at the sky. I moved behind them again, cracking a stick under foot making them jump and turn again. Their fear was addictive, I could hear their hearts racing, the blood pumping as it sped up. I took another few lazy steps towards them. 

“Laura please, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” Lisa cried out tears running down her face. 

“Too late,” I smiled and grabbed her by the arm as she tried to flee but fell to the ground under my grip. I dragged her up to her feet and brushed her hair from her face then wiped one of her tears away and held it up on the tip of my finger to examine. “Pathetic.” I wrenched her head to the side to bite down and a streak knocked me to the floor.

Carmilla was on top of me pinning me down, straddling my hips and holding my wrists to the ground.

“Stay here don’t move, I command you,” she snarled. She got off me and grabbed Lisa, “forget everything you saw tonight.” She rushed off, I guess to get the two fleeing men and do the same. I couldn’t move. The thought started and stopped in brain, my limbs wouldn’t move they wouldn’t listen to my desire. Less than a minute later Carmilla was back helping me to my feet. I could hear Lisa’s footsteps scampering away in the distance.

“Cutie, what happened to you?” She asked running the back of her hand down my face, kissing me quickly and desperately. “What happened to you?”

“I killed myself…”

“Why? What happened?”

“After you left the bar to chase Will Suzie attacked me and locked me in her apartment. Silvered the door and windows, so I cut my wrist open.”

“What? I’ll kill her.”

“I already did…”

“Are you ok? I should have been there for you…”

“She’s dead in her apartment…”

“You need to give me the address and I’ll send a team to cover it up, clean the place… Jesus, I thought I’d lost you,” she almost whimpered not stopping her caressing touches. “I knew something happened I felt it and stopping chasing Will I just, just, I’m sorry.”

“Ok.”

“I’m so sorry this happened to you, I’m so sorry.”

“Ok.”

“I know it’s a shock, I should have been there for you, help you through the change. I still remember the visions the fear… I’m so sorry…” She held me tight stroking my hair reassuringly.

“Why did you stop me?”

“What?”

“Why did you stop me killing her just now?”

“What? Because it isn’t right. There’s artificial blood now.”

“But I wanted to, she bullied me made my life hell, I wanted to kill her.”

“You need to suppress these animal desires you need to hold onto your humanity, it’s going to be hard but I’m here to help you.”

“I wanted to kill her,” I repeated. 

“You have the thirst now, especially after just turning, but it becomes manageable.” 

“I think I want to go home.”

“I’ll take you.”

“I need… I need to be alone tonight.”

“Well… Ok, I understand, I’ll be round tomorrow at sundown.”

“Ok see you tomorrow.” She kissed my cheek and gave me a sad look before I turned away. I wanted to be with her badly, I really did, but I wanted to kill Lisa desperately and she stopped me. I felt put out, shot down like a child refused a toy they wanted in a shop. I really wanted her, to be with her, to kiss her but another, stronger inner voice told me I needed solitude now. 

I walked back home at a normal human pace, I could feel Carmilla standing where we spoke watching over me. As I got closer to home I felt a presence, it seemed familiar as I rounded the last corner Will was sitting on top of the bus stop his legs swinging lazily over the top. I froze.

“Relax,” he jumped down. “Dear little sister,” he grinned and walked up to me and hugged me and kissed my cheek as I held my arms rigidly by my side. “We’re family now, the past is the past.”

“You tried to kill me…”

“And now you’re dead!” He smiled clapping his hands together and rubbed them. “So it’s win win! Have you spoken to our mutual sister since your change?”

“Just now.”

“Did she tell you about the benefit of keeping your humanity? Of respecting humans?”

“She did, she stopped me killing someone I hated…”

“Well,” he turned his wrist to check his watch. “How did that make you feel? Angry? Deprived? Infantilized?”

“All of those things,” I agreed nodding at each suggestion.

“Well it’s only 3am let’s go find her and let your new big brother show you what being a vampire is really about. How about it?”

“I think I’d like that…” I felt a pull to the idea of the hunt. He smirked wide.

“Do you have a scent?”

“I had her by her arm before Carm stopped me.”

He snatched my wrist and smelt my fingers. “Got it, keep up.” He moved off in a blur and I followed he was no longer a blur the world was instead. When I finally caught up to him he was in front of Lisa who was stumbling through the town in a daze. “Hey honey,” he walked up her confidently and made close eye contact, “come with me now.”

“Ok,” she replied in a daze and followed him as he turned and beckoned me to follow him too. We kept going until we were back in the park.

“Stop.” Lisa stopped. “Laura over there, doesn’t like you very much, I think you owe her.”

“Ok.”

“Go over to her and make amends,” he pointed to me and she turned like a drone and shuffled over to me, looking expectant. 

I brushed her hair aside from her neck and breathed in the smell of blood from under her skin. My fangs elongated and I bit her hard, tearing flesh and making a sloppy wound, I slurped and sucked the blood. It was amazing, it was electricity and passion weaved together forming a heavenly tapestry. She meekly stood there as I drained her dry, her heart slowed, but I continued greedily, then it stopped and I let go of her letting her flop lifelessly to the floor.

Will was grinning, he strode over and tousled my hair.

“How was that little sister?”

“Amazing.”

“This,” he said kicking the freshly made corpse, “this is what being a vampire is. There is hope for you.”

“Thank you for this.”

“Anything for family. Now you run along home sis and I’ll deal with the cleanup. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”


	12. T W E L V E

When I got back I threw Perry’s keys into the bowl and went into my room and pulled off my blood soaked shirt and tossed it into the hamper. It was almost 4 am, I still had some time before sun up, I took some tape and some magazines and taped them over each part of my window, blocking out the entire pane. I took safety pins and pinned the curtains closed slightly overlapping so that there was no chance of anything coming through that window. 

Genius.

I got into the bed and under the covers with my laptop, booting it up. I went online and deleted all my social media accounts, I wouldn’t need them anymore I figured. I snuggled into the sheets. I was all comfy. I felt amazing, better than I could imagine feeling, any aches or pains I had ever had were long forgotten memories. I wish I was the one who killed David. Lisa was a good replacement though, to sate my revenge. Why did Carmilla stop me? She denied me something I really wanted. 

We could talk about it later I suppose, but I think hunting with Will was something to keep to myself. I’m not sure I could easily explain that away. I could just play it sweet and pretend nothing was amiss, I just went home and had an early night. I mulled over the potential possibilities of a conversation with Carm. Around 6.20 I just fell asleep at once. I didn’t feel tired, it just happened.

I was in a hospital, the maternity ward, walking through a hall as staff walked around me like I was ghost, either side of me were windows showing rooms full of incubators. I walked up to the glass and pressed my face against it to get a better look, there were 10 incubators with babies contained within, wrapped in waddling. I went to the door and pushed it open and entered the ward. 

I looked into the incubators and looked at each baby, red faced and sleeping peacefully. I just stared down lost looking at the faces. The door opened and I looked up to see a woman who was wearing a scarf around her head, obscuring her face enter. She brushed past me and picked up a baby and started breastfeeding it with her back turned to me. I walked around to face her and she finally looked up at me and smiled a wicked smile ripping the waddling away to reveal a dead, purple bloated baby which she dropped to the floor and it shattered like glass.

I rushed to my knees to try to scrape the pieces back together but the women pulled me to my feet. She was very familiar, a face from a dream.

“Lilita?” I asked.

“Dearest daughter,” she smiled pulling her cloak apart and embracing me and surrounding me in the black bat wing like robe.

My eyes opened and I was in my bed, my alarm clock read 6.30, sundown. I rolled out of bed and changed into black jeans and another black, short sleeved button down. I wandered out into the kitchen area. No one was around, I could feel the emptiness of the apartment without needing to check. I went to the fridge just out of habit but there was nothing but food in it. It smelt awful, it all smelt like varying degrees of rot. 

I slammed the door. I didn’t have any bank cards either. I couldn’t get anything. I went back to my room got on my laptop and ordered a new phone and used the house phone to call the bank to resend a bank card. 

Well that’s annoying. Though I suppose I don’t need to pay for food anymore. Well Carmilla will want me to. Eugh. I did want to see her, be with her, but I don’t need to be told how to behave nor how to act, that’s what always annoyed me about Danny. The condescending maternalism. What would it feel like to have sex with her in a bloodbath, running through the sheets, writhing in it… I had to shake my head to refocus as the buzzer went off. Carmilla was there, I had to take to a pause before granting her entry.

“Hey Laura,” she said quietly with a sad smile, kissing me on the cheek. She went to the kitchen, she was carrying a four pack of artificial blood which she put in the fridge after snapping one off. She placed it in the microwave and set it. “How was sleep?”

“Fine… I guess. I was out like a light at sun up and wide awake at sun down.”

“Yeah, that’s your primal instinct now, you’ll be able to control that after a while. How’s your thirst?”

“Deep.”

“Yeah, yeah I still remember now when I was turned I thought the hunger would never ever alleviate. It becomes more manageable after a few days and regular shortly after that.” 

“I’m guessing you didn’t drink that,” I said bitterly pointing to the bottle slowly rotating in the microwave.

“No…” She looked away mournfully, “no I didn’t, I still regret what I did in those first few nights.”

“But you won’t let me even choose to make those same mistakes?”

“Look… I know I’m going to annoy you a lot, really annoy you over the next couple weeks but I need you to understand I’m helping you in the long run. 10 years from now you’ll thank me, 100 years from now. You can’t let the animal control you, giving into that will snuff out any remnants of the Laura Hollis who you were.”

“Ok…”

“Answer this, did you like who you are, who you were?”

“Of course.”

“Do you want to keep hold of that?”

“Of course I do…”

“Then you’ll have to trust me.”

“I trust you,” I said, even though I had deep reservations. I still felt like me, I still was me, killing Lisa didn’t change that did it? No it didn’t. Just because something is right for her doesn’t mean it’s right for me. I can balance things.

“Ok, well give me the apartment details of the girl who kidnapped you, we have people who will clean the place, remove all traces of what happened.”

I told her as she passed me the bottle. I polished it off quickly as she texted someone. She slid her phone into her pocket and took the empty bottle. 

“Do you need another?”

“I think so…”

“No problem, that mess with… Suzie was it? Is as good as dealt with.”

“Thank you… Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“Did you have weird dreams when you… When you changed?”

“Yeah I did the night I changed, weird twisted visions of evil doings.”

“Then they stopped.”

“Yeah one night, then I slept like the dead so to speak from then onwards… Why are you still having them?”

“No,” I lied, “no I was just checking.”

“Yeah that’s normal, nothing to worry about.” 

“Ok… Good.”

She stood and just smiled sadly at me. The door to the apartment opened and Laf and Perry came in with brown shopping bags. 

“Hi guys,” Laf greeted us walking over and placing the bags on the table and starting to unpack them. “Perry has your black paint.”

“Oh great, thanks Perr,” I said turning to her. She just eyed me warily.

“No problem,” she said carefully, edging tentatively forward. I had a real urge to scare her more, to snarl with fully detracted fangs and I needed to really struggle to resist that temptation. Maybe Carm has a point. Though maybe not because I was able to stop the animalistic urge when I wanted to and gave into it with Lisa when I wanted to. It required some thought.

The microwave dinged and Carmilla handed me the blood. I tried to just sip it, not to just gulp it away. Try to at least look civil. 

“How you doing Carmilla?” Laf asked obviously wanting to break the awkward atmosphere.

“Better now cutie is back and safe.”

“I can imagine.”

“Hey look cupcake I’ll paint your window for you, to block out that pesky sun. I’ve done it so many times you know.”

“Oh thanks,” I mumbled lacklusterly. 

She took the paint and little brush Perry had bought me and went off to my room. 

“That reminds me!” Laf piped up, “I had a key cut for you,” they fished through their pant pocket and tossed me a freshly made key.

“Thanks.”

“This is going to be hard isn’t it?” Perry finally spoke.

“I suppose, it’ll be as hard or as easy as you make it,” I replied looking at her but she couldn’t keep eye contact with me. I felt my temper rising but I forced myself to quelch it. 

“What do you mean by that?” She asked.

“Things can be normal again, it’s up to you if you accept me or not.”

“Of course I accept you Laura,” Perry squeaked offended, she moved her hand to place over mine but decided against it and withdrew. “It’s just a big change.”

“I’m still me, I just can’t go for a picnic anymore.”

“That’s the spirit L! Stop worrying so much Perr-bear,” Laf interrupted punching me in the arm playfully and instinctively I snarled at her. Shit. “Ok so maybe there will be some kinks to work out and work around.”

Perry looked terrified, her fear was really bothering me. I wanted to hurt her, not kill her, but hurt. I had to quieten down that inner voice, really wrestle with it to shake the desire off. 

“I think I need to be alone for a little while,” I told them, picking up my bottle of blood and standing and joining Carmilla in the bedroom. She had finished painting my window with black paint and it was running droplets down it, still drying. She had just thrown all the discarded magazine pages on the floor messily. I closed the door behind me.

I grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her onto the bed and leapt onto top of her starting to kiss her and palming at her breasts through her top. She pushed me off her.

“What the hell?” I asked confused pushing my hair behind my neck scowling at her.

“Look cutie, I want to, obviously I want to, but you’re less than 48 hours from your change you need to stay calm and collected at the moment. Just for a couple days more…” She spoke apologetically but it still bothered me. I knew my own mind!

I sat back on the bed and blew the loose strands of hair from in front of my eyes. 

“So I just need to sit about?” I asked venomously.

“For literally a couple days, waiting for the initial thirst to subside and to get in control of your emotions.”

“Control… Right. So I just sit here doing nothing all night and tomorrow night?”

“Have you ever been sick before? Had the flu or something?”

“Yeah…”

“Treat it like that, think of it like you have the flu, just stay in bed and watch shit on your tv, read. You know… It’ll be boring yeah but you have literally forever afterwards. What’s two days in the face of eternity?”

“I suppose so…”

“Ok?”

“Ok… You know what’s best.”

“Cutie, I don’t want to mother you… I really don’t, but I don’t want to command you either, I would hope you’d just trust me on this. Besides I’m hardly trying to control your behavior, it’s just for the briefest of times before you adapt to this new life.”

“You know what’s best…” I repeated. She sighed, she looked a little hurt, and I did feel bad about that, but I couldn’t help myself.

“If I leave you alone for tonight to comes to terms with this will you promise not to leave this apartment?”

“Can’t you just command me?”

“I can but I don’t want to, I don’t want to force you. I want you to trust me.”

“Ok.”

“Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

She leant over and kissed my temple. 

“I’m sorry I know this sucks but I’ve been around a long time and… I’m sorry.” 

“Ok.”

“Do you want to be left alone, I read that right?”

“Yeah I guess.”

She sighed, “ok cupcake, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I heard her talking to Laf and Perry in the kitchen, just explaining that I had to stay in tonight and she’d be back and everything else she patronized me with just before. Eugh. I flopped back onto the bed. I was supposed to be at work tonight wasn’t I? Danny, of course I forgotten about her. I owed her some payback too. 

I just lay in bed stewing in annoyed anger for a long time, Laf knocked and asked if I wanted a blood warmed up and I waved them away. Another knock came later on but this time from my blacked out window. What the hell? I pulled them open, they were a little stuck from the dried paint but I got them open without breaking any glass. Will was there just floating in mid air, grinning.

“Hey little sister, how are you this fine evening?” He asked looking up to the sky and smiling. 

“Bored.”

“I can imagine,” he said looking inside my room without crossing the window’s threshold. “Any more time with my dearest sister?”

“She left a couple hours ago.”

“Did she ask you, she wouldn’t command you, to stay in, to focus, meditate,” he drawled sarcastically. He crossed his legs, still hovering in the air, and held his hands out as if meditating, “Ohmmm,” he tried before returning his body to normal. “Seems like bullshit to me.”

“Seems like bullshit to me too.”

“There we go sis,” his grin grew, “that’s the spirit. Now tell me,” he started resting his elbows on the window sill and his head in his hands, “what is you want to do?”

“I want to hunt,” I said quietly. 

“Of course you do. Meet me outside.” 

“Ok.”

I shut the window and picked up my freshly cut key and slipped on some converse and snuck out of the apartment silently. He was sitting on top of the bus stop once more, swinging his legs over the side. He hopped down gracefully and started walking away down the road. I jogged to catch him up and then maintain his pace.

“What are you in the mood for? College student? Athlete? A cocktail?”

“What’s a cocktail?”

“A drunk person, the alcohol pickles their blood, it gives it a very distinctive flavor.”

“I just want blood which doesn’t come from a fuckin’ bottle,” I said bitterly.

“Atta girl.” 

We walked in silence for a short time. 

“Can all vampires fly?” I asked.

“No, no some can, some can turn into animals, some mist, it’s all a mess really.” 

“I wonder if I can fly…”

“Maybe, you’ll find out in the end, you may end up like our dear mutual sister and have no extra abilities.”

We continued walking, there a very loud voice in my head telling me how stupid I was being, how this man didn’t have my best interests at heart, how I really shouldn’t be here, I should be at home being sensible. But I’d always been sensible, always done the right thing, and the slightly louder voice inside was saying I should indulge myself, do what I wanted for once.

That latter was definitely stronger, it must have been as I kept walking with Will into the town without faltering. He tried to kill me, he said he would do anything to hurt Carmilla. She was my girlfriend and I didn’t want to hurt her but I wanted to hunt, that desire overwhelmed every other thought. Actually now I was part of his ‘family,’ so to speak I couldn’t judge him based on how he treated human me. Things were new and different now, I should be open minded with Will. Give him another chance. Maybe I could reconcile him and Carmilla! 

We got to the park and he pointed a tree over a hundred feet away.

“Sit up there, I’ll be back soon,” he commanded.

“Ok…”

“Don’t worry sis I’ll let you hunt properly very soon, but you’re still a baby, you tore that girl to pieces last night,” he explained.

I just shrugged and smiled, “oops.”

He barked a laugh and disappeared at speed. I walked over to the tree he singled out skipping every other step, humming happily. I leapt up into the top branch and rested my legs over the side swinging them. I sat back, balancing at what would have been an impossible angle only a few days ago and enjoyed the night sky. I tried to remember the constellations names Carmilla told me all those weeks ago, but it made me feel guilty so I had to stop. 

I could sense a presence and turned to see Will sitting next to me on the branch, smiling as usual. He didn’t speak just nodded towards the ground, there was some officer worker type just sitting, cross legged on the grass. I hopped down 15 feet down and looked the man up and down, no wedding ring that’s a plus I suppose. I don’t know if that would have really stopped me if he did have one.

He looked at me, completely blankly, Will had done something to him, probably the same thing he did to Lisa. The same thing Carmilla did to her too, to save her from me, not that worked out too well. I pulled the stranger to his feet.

“Now,” Will spoke down to me, “listen to his heart rate, listen to the beat, the slower it gets the closer they are to death. If you don’t want to kill the person then wait until you hear the beat becoming fainter and stop.”

“How do you stop?”

“Focus, you’ll probably fuck up and kill a few people but you’ll get it eventually. I think about having a family and coming home to a shitty cooked meal with a 9-5 and I can stop. Just find your idea of hell.”

“Like Doctor Who being cancelled?”

“I don’t know how to respond to that.”

“For a second time…” I added uselessly. 

“Just… Jesus, just do what you gotta do.”

“Don’t you want some?”

“I have that ginger giant to drink from.”

“Danny! She betrayed me!”

“Want to kill her too?” He asked bemused.

“No…”

“Just hurt her a little?”

“No…” 

“Then what’s the problem? I don’t mind her, she does what I want, her blood is healthy, she’s not a terrible lay.”

“You’ve had sex with Danny?!”

“A few times, why not? It’s how I met her. She was looking for vampire at that squalid student club… ANYWAY as much fun as gossiping is…”

“Isn’t that what brothers and sisters do?”

He laughed and leapt down to join me and place a hand on my shoulder. “I suppose it is. Now the business at hand.”

I nodded, and turned back to the dazed man and tilted his head to the side and this time made a more deliberate couple of holes into his throat and began drinking methodically.

“Listen to the heart can you hear it slow?”

I pulled back to speak and blood just poured over my chin as Will laughed at me. 

“Haha, I’ve never ever met a clumsy vampire before, don’t talk with your mouth full, children know that.”

“I can hear it slowing,” I said once I mopped my face clean with the man’s tie. 

“This is when you’d stop, if you wanted to… Do you want to?”

“Not really.”

“Then carry on.”

I sunk my teeth back in and kept slurping at his blood until he went limp and fell uselessly to the floor. “Is it always that amazing?”

“Never gets old, the only way to make it better is fuck and bite at the same time.”

“Yeah Carm liked to drink from me when…”

“Ahh, I don’t want to hear about that,” he said scowling. 

“You brought it up.”

“I didn’t need specificity.”

“Sorry.”

“No problem, I should get a clipboard to check off the list of things you need to learn,” he mused, “I think this is fine for tonight.” He took out a strip of paper. “This is my phone number.”

“My phone is broken, should be getting a new one soon.”

“Well whatever, I know you’ll need to keep up with Carmilla to maintain appearances for now, so it’s for the best I don’t just show up. I think she might be mad at me for some reason.”

“She said she wanted to eat your heart.”

“That isn’t nice now is it.” 

“So I’ll text you to give you my number when the new one arrives. That lunatic Suzie smashed mine.”

“I don’t know who that is, though I should thank her, Carmilla would have caught up with me and finished me off if she weren’t distracted by the kidnap.”

“Every cloud I suppose,” I mumbled.

“Precisely, now you fly away home I’ll get rid of this,” he said kicking the freshly made corpse.

“Ok goodnight… And thanks for this… Bro.”

“You too little sister.” 

I wandered off happily, feeling as alive as I had ever felt, I could sense the squirrels and other such nightlife scurrying around the park. Any trepidation I had about Will was evaporating with the feeling I currently had, maybe he and Carmilla could reconcile through me! That would be nice, if I could fix or at least help fix their troubled relationship. 

I slipped back into my apartment unnoticed and slipped into bed. I drew my laptop open and started procrastinating on youtube. It was a great time sink. It was easier to waste time lying about like Carmilla recommended now I had sated my thirst.

The man I’d killed… I tried to think of his family and friends and those who would miss him but I just didn’t care. I know I would have cared only a few days ago… I did still feel like me though, my thoughts and my memories, I still enjoyed the bullshit I always liked on youtube and I wanted to hang out of my friends. It isn’t murder is it? Is it murder when a human eats a cow. Then am I classifying people as cows? No that isn’t right. I’m sure there’s a good justification, I just haven’t found it yet.

I had half a glass of artificial blood on bedside table and I sniffed at it. It smelt bad. Maybe it had a bad shelf life. Compared to fresh human blood it didn’t compare. Tofu compared to steak basically. If I’m going to live forever it would be awful to just exist, just to have what I need without pleasure or indulgence. Maybe striking a balance was what I needed to work towards. Live off the bottled stuff and have fresh blood as a lovely treat! Plus even Will said you didn’t need to kill. He clearly was living off Danny and she was ok, admittedly she looked a little weak but still fine. Plus I don’t have any siblings it felt nice to possibly have a big brother.

Sundown rolled around and I fell into a deep slumber. 

I was walking through a graveyard, fog was rolling within, up to my waist, obscuring all but all the outlines of the tombstones. The fog wisped up and formed ghostly apparitions which screamed silently at me before returning to the nebulous. I walked forwards towards the mausoleum which was in the centre of the yard. There was a rusted gate in between two columns which I yanked opened and went into the dark chamber.

The was nothing inside apart from another door which I pulled open to reveal a staircase down into the dark. I descended into the blackness unable to see. As I reached the bottom of the steps the door I entered through swung shut with a loud crack. As the door shut light flooded the room. I was in a sterile white chamber with no fixings or features. Just a plain white room with nothing in it, even the stairs were gone. 

The walls started bleeding, slowly, slowly dripping and oozing out. I went to the wall and took some off with my fingertip and sucked my finger. Yummy. 

“Enjoying the buffet?”

I span around to see Lilita standing wearing a flowing red evening gown. She looked amazing, breath taking. 

“Where am I?”

“My family tomb.”

“Why am I here?”

“Because you’re special, you shouldn’t be here, my other children and grandchildren only see me on the night of their change.”

“Carmilla said that.”

“I bet she did. But this place isn’t about her it’s about you.” She raised her head back and long fangs detracted and she raised her wrist to her mouth and tore a wound. “Come here.” She commanded.

I walked up her and took her offered wrist and drank. The world started shaking, the tremors getting worse and worse until I woke up in my bed. Carmilla was leaning over me shaking my shoulders.

“Hey Carm,” I mumbled sleepily. “Did I oversleep?”

“Never mind that, do you want to explain this?” She asked furiously holding up the black shirt I wore when I killed Lisa, still stained in her blood.

Oh shit.


	13. T H I R T E E N

“Well?” Carmilla repeated brandishing the soiled shirt at me. 

Eeep. I raced through possible excuses but none came to mind. “No?”

“What do you mean no?” She asked sternly.

“I don’t… Want to explain it…” I said slowly.

“You’re going to, I smelt it spoiling in your room from the stairs.”

“It’s Suzie’s blood.” 

“I don’t think it is, you were in your bar uniform when you were kidnapped.”

“This is her shirt,” I said snatching it away from her.

“It it?”

“Yeah,” I lied with confidence. “Is this why you came over to attack me?” I asked angrily. 

“No, sorry, I just smelt the dried blood and I panicked… Sorry,” she shot me a sad smile, “I was just worried you’d done something sloppy. Being on the run from the law is not what you want for your life.” 

“No I know it isn’t.”

“Ok, sorry cupcake,” she apologized, jumping up on the bed scooching over to me throwing an arm around my shoulders. “How you feeling today?”

“Ok… I suppose. I don’t have any comparison really.”

“You know your dad is freaking out,” she told me.

“I haven’t really thought about him…”

“I spoke to him last night after I left here, tried to put his mind at ease.”

“Did you do that weird mind control thing on him?”

“Maybe…”

“Ok good,” I said relieved, I felt her visibly relax as I snuggled into her arm a bit. Rubbing my head into her shoulder. “I need some wiggle room there.” 

“Ok phew, I was worried I’d acted out of hand there,” she said holding me tighter. 

“No, I really should have thought about him,” I said guilty. 

“Don’t worry yourself so much cutie, it’s big change you need some, eugh cliche coming up, ‘me time,’ don’t worry about telling your dad today, don’t worry.”

“Thanks, I guess I won’t be finishing college either.”

“Probably not, no.”

“I could transfer my credits to a night school…”

“Yeah,” she said insincerely, “yeah of course you could.” 

“Not convinced on that one?”

“I don’t know things are so different now from when I was turned.”

“We have electricity for one.”

“Hey! Actually that is true. You hungry?”

“Always.”

She kissed my temple and rolled off my bed and got up and left my room. I heard the fridge door open and the microwave close. More yucky, yucky artificial blood. Just grin and bear it, or at least start trying to work on the balance between bottled and hunted blood. 

She returned with the bottle and sipped from it herself before passing it to me.

“Where’s my glass?” I asked.

“Really?”

I just looked expectantly.

“Fiiiine.” 

She wandered out again, I didn’t need a glass but she had been so particular when I first met her, turnabout was fair play. I could hear her opening and closing all the cupboards. “The fuck are they,” I could hear her mumbling. 

She came back with a glass.

“I don’t like that glass…”

“Don’t fuckin’ push it cupcake,” she pulled a bendy straw from her pocket. “I found this monstrosity in one of your draws.” 

“Straws are fun!” I defended myself taking it and putting into the glass and pouring the blood. “Besides I told you I would use this to drink blood if I were vampire.”

She sighed. “Yes, I remember. Well done, congratulations,” she drawled. I finished sipping watching it curling through the bends.

“Weee,” I said as she shook her head smiling as I went for another sip then offered the straw to her. She refused and I nudged her over and over until she sighed and took the tip of the straw in her mouth and sucked it up while giving me a grumpy stare.

“Happy now?”

“Admit that was fun!”

“I will literally never ever admit that.” 

I put the drink down on my bedside table.

“So… Can we actually do something tonight? Or do I have to stay in?”

“Well you already seem a little more in check of your emotions, but I think one more day in is a good thing for you,” she said tentatively, “look why don’t we watch something together? And tomorrow I’ll take you out somewhere.”

“Can I choose what we watch?” I asked quietly.

“I know I’m going to really, really regret this but ok.”

“Doctor Who?”

“Eugh,” she furrowed her brow, “ok,” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Yipee!” I leapt from the bed and grabbed my laptop and HDMI cable and attached it to the small TV in my room. I opened up my special folder with every catalogued episode and deliberated on what was a good place to start. Probably the reboot, with Christopher Eccleston. That was a smart move.

The BBC America logo flashed up then the opening movie intro and I could feel Carmilla’s eyes rolling. I got back into the bed as she opened her arm and I snuggled into it resting my head above her breast on her clavicle. 

She moaned and criticized everything that happened, from production value to acting. 

“Those aliens look stupid, it’s obviously just some losers who failed to be actors dressed in prosthetics, cheap ones at that.”

“They look realistic!”

“No, they really don’t, have you seen Alien? That was made in the 1970s and the Xenomorphs in that look better than this shit!”

“Why am I not surprised you like horror.”

“Why am I not surprised you don’t? Have you seen Alien?”

“No… We can watch it after a couple more episodes if you really want? I think Laf has it.”

“Good.”

“Under duress mind you! I hate the gore and scariness!” I whined child like.

“You literally killed someone less than a week ago.”

“Sure but I don’t think I’d watch it back if it were taped…”

“Just try it with new eyes.”

“Oh like you are with Dr Who?”

“I’m fuckin’ watching it aren’t I!”

“While complaining.”

“You can complain through Alien.”

I settled back down into her chest and turned my body to place hand onto her stomach under the duvet. I was so horny, but I didn’t want to push it, just coax her into it slowly. Sex, blood and Dr Who was definitely my version of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. I just rested my hand for a while before splaying it out so my pinky was right at the edge of where her t-shirt met her pants. I lightly traced the tip of my little finger against her stomach running it to her hipbones and pressing into the protrusion. 

After another few moments of doing this I pushed her t-shirt up a bit and rest my bottom half of my hand on her bare skin, tracing my nails from hip bone to hip bone back and forth. She squeezed my shoulder tighter pulling me in as close as she could into her body. I took that as encouragement and pushed her top up more to stretch my entire hand over her bare stomach, running it over her skin in light, circling caresses.

I used my nails to rake lines in her stomach, doing it harder and harder, until I was leaving welts, not that she seemed to mind. She growled quietly, and her arm snaked from around my shoulders to my chest coming to rest on the side of my breast, lightly tracing a line over the skin through my t-shirt.

“No wait,” she stopped moving, “we shouldn’t, not yet.” She looked really pained as I looked up at her face.

“Too bad,” I said, capturing her lips with my own, she paused before purring.

“Fuck it,” she growled against my mouth and started kissing me passionately, she ran her tongue of the tips of my pointed canines and I felt them detract under the touch of her tongue’s caress. I made a snarling noise into her mouth but she swallowed the noise with a harder kiss. Under the sheets I repositioned myself so I was on top of her, sweeping my hair over my shoulder. I tore her t-shirt open ripping the material from collar to hem. She snarled at me her fangs detracted as well and I curled my tongue over them cutting my tongue like I did when I was human. 

She purred deeply as my blood leaked into her mouth before the wound healed itself. She cut her tongue on my teeth and I did the same again and we massaged each other’s blood into our tongues. I tore her bra off, ripping the wire the cups falling either side of her body as I moved my head down to her chest swirling my tongue around her nipple and rolling the other between my fingers. Her purring grew deep, rumbling through her chest under my face as I sunk my fangs into the soft flesh above her nipple, her blood running down as she growled. I licked the crimson streak. Vampire blood tasted very different to human, it burnt slightly, heating up my mouth and throat with a pleasant glow. 

The wound had already healed but I was moving on, dragging the tip of my fang down her chest and stomach cutting a thin red line which closed itself as I went. Carmilla raised her hips as I started to pull her pants down, the button popped off and the zipper broke as I ripped them off and pulled them down her legs, tearing the denim, she put her hand under my chin and pulled me back up her body, kissing me again, hard and fast. I trailed my hand back between her legs and tore her panties and pushed 2 fingers inside her, she purred and bit down on my tongue. 

My wrist moved back and forth as she pulled my tongue from my mouth with her teeth and keeping her fangs embedded in it. I felt a snarl build in my gut and I shivered as she kept reopening the wound in my mouth and sucking from it. I readjusted my hand so I could rub her clit with my thumb as I kept my fingers drawing in and out of her as she ground her pelvis and arched into my fingers, the purrs escaping her lips becoming more primal. Her body trembled and she broke free of the kiss.

“Fuck…” She whispered, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, but I didn’t let her break, I restarted drawing my hand back and forth and sliding a third finger into her wetness. I used my vampiric speed when I pushed in and regular speed when I slowly withdrew my hand. “Fuck Laura, come on,” she purred, I went to respond but gasped as she bit into my neck and let the blood flow down, sticking to our shoulders and chests.

The red liquid ran down on the sheets and we writhed in it rocking back and forth as she cried out and threw her head back and shuddered again. She kept her eyes closed and smiled. 

“Ok, ok,” she mumbled, “now we can watch Alien?”

“Humph!”

“You’re still so easy to wind up cupcake,” she grinned and kissed me as she pushed my hips forward, breaking the kiss and pulling me up her body, she ripped my pants and underwear off in a clawing tear, leaving just parts left on my lower thighs and calves. I leant back as I shifted up her body and threw the scraps of clothing away. I lowered my hips over her face as she pushed her fingernails hard into my thighs pressing me down into her mouth.

“W-w-wait,” I groaned, she stopped and I turned around and lowered myself back down over her face bending down so I could put my mouth to her sex as she did to mine. I trembled as she ran her tongue through my folds and attached her lips to my clit. I bent my head and she arched her back to raise her hips to my face. 

We finished together, I felt the knot undo in my stomach and I collapsed on her and lazily rolled off so we just lying there tops and tails. I wasn’t physically tired, but felt I needed to just lie still and be content for a moment. I scooted around and made way back up to the top of the bed resting my head on Carmilla’s chest. 

“Hey,” I said after a peaceful, comfortable silence.

“Hey.”

“Do you want to me microwave you some yucky bottled blood?”

“Yes please.”

I got out of bed and pulled on some sweatpants from the floor and a t-shirt and starting skipping out into the hall. 

When I came back with her bottle she was still completely naked resting, sitting up on the pillows with one arm behind her head, her body looked unaffected from all the healed cuts I had made. 

“Thanks cutie,” she said taking the bottle from me after a few sips she placed it down and shook her head at me. “I thought I said we should wait a couple days?”

“Eh.” I shrugged offering up my palms. 

“Ok back to watching shit, and don’t try to pull anything this time cutie.”

“You’re the one who’s is still naked…”

“I need to borrow some clothes.”

“How funny would it be if I said no?”

“I would take them anyway… So do the right thing.”

I giggled and got up and opened a draw to take out a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and tossed them to her. She wriggled into them. I’d never seen her dressed casually. 

“Now watching,” she said sternly pointing to the television, “and no more of that hacky Doctor Who crap.”

“Fiiiine.”

We snuggled up and watched Alien, it was still scary! I didn’t like it at all, I jumped when I should and covered my eyes with my hands.

“You know if that thing existed you could kill it?” Carmilla asked sarcastically.

“Spooky!” I whined, “Ah!” I cried out as the Alien appeared and I pulled the sheets over my face.

She somehow talked me into watching the second one, and I was terrified. We watched tv and drank bottled blood until it was sunup and passed out in each other’s arms. 

The bed was white now, pure white, in a pure white room, it wasn’t my room but it was my bed and Carmilla was lying on my bed with her arm draped over me sleeping in white pajamas. I tried to shake her awake but she didn’t move. She lay peacefully without showing any sign of acknowledging my attempts to stir her.

I pulled her arm off me and hopped out of the bed the white floor pooled like water under foot and reformed after each step. I went to where the door should be and traced my hands over the white wall to find an opening, my fingernails ran over the edge and pulled, my nails ripped back tearing the tips of the back of fingers as I wrenched the door back. I stepped out and it wasn’t my apartment. It was a white hall, wide as hotel ballroom with a large white grand staircase leading up on indefinitely. 

I approached the stairs and took the first one and it crunched under foot like it was made from thousands of insects. Blood pooled under my feet but disappeared and reformed to white after I moved and the pools of bloods appeared and disappeared with each crunching footstep. I walked for ages, ages and ages, time was non-existent in this place but as I ploughed on ahead, the stairs eventually, turned black. The crunchy stopped as did the pooling blood. 

After an another age of ascending I saw Lilita standing at the top of the staircase. I pushed on ahead until she turned to see me.

“Dearest daughter!” She beamed at me. Her eyes pitch black.

“Mother.” 

She turned back to stare out of the nothingness which was under the massive staircase.

“Tell me what do you see?”

“Nothing, just a white expanse.”

“Indeed. So not yet. Not yet. We’ll talk soon daughter, when you’re ready to see.”

I slipped as the stairs turned into a slide and fell back down at speed until I came crashing to the floor of the white room where the staircase started. I picked myself up and cracked my broken bones back into place letting them heal. Turning back to the staircase it had reformed its steps. Not yet I guess. 

I returned to my room, Carmilla still asleep in the white sheets, I got in next to her and lay down and pulled her arm back over me.

My eyes opened and Carmilla’s arm was over me and room was back to normal. She woke up literally seconds later. 

“Morning! Or Evening!” I said to her, kissing her on the tip of her nose. She grumbled and buried her face in the duvet. I leapt out of bed and went into the hall to see my phone and bank card had arrived in the mail! Hooray. I tore open the box and got the sim card from my room and placed it in. I put it on charge and went back out to the kitchen to microwave the last artificial blood bottle. 

The buzzer went off and I sped to the door to see my dad standing on the street. Oh god, shit, fuck ah. I pressed the button to let him in and ran to the bedroom. 

“My dad is here! He’s here!”

“Relax, get in bed and look ill.”

“Huh?”

“Are you going to tell him you’re a vampire?”

“No…”

“Well I told him you were ill so get in bed.”

“Ok. Good thinking.” I jumped under the covers and pulled them up to my neck as Carmilla sauntered out of the room and let my dad in. I could hear them talking in hushed voices as he asked if I was feeling any better.

“Hey honey,” he said as he stuck his head around the door smiling at me. “Still feeling under the weather?” 

“Uh-huh,” I said trying to look ill. 

He walked over and sat on the bed and put his hand to my forehead.

“Good Lord you’re cold, you really must be sick!” He exclaimed.

“I am,” I said and faked a cough. He gave me a very sympathetic look.

“Well I have to catch my flight tonight, I wish we could have spent more time together but I understand. Hey at least you’re not missing any school!”

“Oh yay!” I drawled sarcastically. 

“Don’t sweat it honey, you’ll be right as rain soon, I brought some soups and gave them to Carmilla. Do you want one now?”

“No, no thanks I’m not hungry.”

“Well keep your fluids up!” He kissed me lightly on the forehead. “You are cold, make sure you eat lots of soup. I have to head to the airport.”

“Sorry we didn’t see each other much daddy.”

“It’s ok, I understand, people get sick, it happens. Now I have to get to the taxi it’s parked outside. Bye bye honey I’ll text you when I get back home.”

“Ok daddy thanks for coming.”

“Of course! Don’t be silly. Goodbye and rest!”

I heard him saying goodbye to Carmilla and how nice it was meeting her and left and I could hear a car leaving the street below. 

“How was that?” Carmilla asked coming back into the bed as I got up again.

“Fine, it’s for the best. I don’t think I could tell him right now.”

“No I think that’s for the best too. I don’t think he’d like me too much if I turned his little princess into an undead monster.”

“You didn’t technically turn me…”

“Well it’s my blood and besides I think the technicalities wouldn’t be too important to him. Oh you didn’t actually do it she did it to herself?! No I think the important fact would be you’re now what you are and it would trump anything else. How you got there or here, is less important than the fact you are here.”

“Terribly explained but I got you. Riiiight, can we actually do something tonight?”

“Like?”

“Leave this apartment!” As far as she knew I hadn’t left the place since she stopped me killing Lisa the other day. “There’s a coffee shop which open to 10 which has ‘blood infused,’ coffee.”

“That would make us really ill.”

“Why?”

“The coffee…”

“Well just the blood then, I just need to get out of here, stretch my legs.”

“Fine. I need to home and change. I don’t want people to see me in sweatpants,” she drew the last word out like it toxic.

“Ok, meet you outside my place?”

“Yeah in like 10 minutes.”

“Okie dokie!” I leaned up to peck her on the lips. She left in a flash and I changed too, into my last pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. I took out the slip of paper Will had written his number on and added it to my phone. 

Laura: Hey big bro it’s Laura x

Will: Cool.

Laura: I’m going out with Carm tonight see you soon though? X

Will: Can’t wait.

I deleted the text thread. This probably wasn’t the best time to broach the possibility of reconciliation between him and Carmilla. I went to the mirror forgetting it wouldn’t work and tried to balance my phone on the cabinet in the bathroom with the camera on. It was really freaky to look at myself in the screen without being able to see myself in the mirror. I ran a brush through my hair, even though it looked perfect despite sleeping, I wonder if that was another benefit of being a vampire. 

I went out into the street, Carmilla was leaning against the bus stop Will usually sat on. She was wearing a black skirt and black thigh high socks with a white t-shirt and black leather jacket. How come she could pull off all black and I looked like I was trying too hard?

“Coffee shop?” I suggested.

“Is there nowhere else?” 

“Only the Anvil and I think I might kill Danny if I see her there.”

“Oh that place is closed for a while.”

“Really?”

“What do you think? One of the bar staff kidnapped another who then killed them, after the manager drugged the kidnapee.” 

“They know that?!”

“No, you’d be in trouble with the police if anyone but me knew that.” 

“Oh phew. Just closed.”

“Yeah, so I guess this hipster shit hole is our only option,” she sighed dramatically. I looped my arm through her’s and gave her a broad grin cocking my head side to side.

“Cheer up! It’ll be a hoot.”

“Sometimes I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” I said in a sing-song voice skipping alternative steps while she grumbled under her breath.

When we got to the coffee shop it was exactly what Carmilla described. Hipster types, students from college, all the guys had beards and hats and everyone had tattoos. I went up to the barista.

“Hello!” I said happily. 

“Good evening!” The girl behind the counter beamed.

“Do you have that artificial blood?” I asked.

“Yes! Awesome dude, hey Lenny, Len!” She called to a guy fiddling with the coffee machine, who turned and joined her. “We have our first non-human customers.”

“Oh my god,” Carmilla said. I could sense the eye roll from next to her. 

“Woah, cool man, nice to have you here. We have coffee infused with the artificial blood,” he said proudly. 

“You know that is completely idiotic,” Carmilla said.

“What do you mean?” The girl asked.

“We can’t drink coffee…” I explained patiently. “It’ll make us really ill.”

“Oh shit really dude?”

“We like totally didn’t know that! Sorry guys, we’ll have to find some way around it…”

“Just take the bottle, microwave it and split it into those pretentious mugs, that’ll be fine. We’re obviously here for the… Atmosphere,” she said sarcastically. 

“Awesome, sorry ladies about the coffee thing. We’ll sort that out for you.”

I tried to pay but she wouldn’t let me, throwing a note onto the counter.

“Please take a seat and we’ll bring it over asap,” the girl said happily. 

We took a sofa.

“So cutie how does it feel to be a novelty for the humans?”

“I think you might be reading into that a little too much.” 

“Really? She had to get another person to come look at the undead couple.”

“Undead couple! We could get matching t-shirts!”

“I will burn any t-shirt you have made.”

“Humph!”

“Hey Laura!” Some people I sorta recognized from college came and sat on the sofa opposite us. 

“Oh hey… You.”

“How’s it going?”

“Fine. You?”

“Good. I was just wondering if you were panicking about Lisa Williams?”

“Lisa Williams?”

“She disappeared dude!”

“So…”

“So she hated vampires, every time someone dies everyone blames you, I mean college will suck for you.”

“She just disappeared though?” I asked.

“Still you know how people talk.”

“Here is your blood! Enjoy it and thank you for choosing us!” The barista said putting down two coffee mugs with red liquid swirling inside it. 

“Thanks,” I said picking up the mug and sipping. The girl who had been talking about Lisa just stared at me, I could feel her trying to get a look at my teeth.

“Laura?! You’re a…” 

“Yeah, I guess so,” I said. This wasn’t the cute little coffee date I was hoping for. The girl took out her phone and started doing something with it. “What are you doing?” I asked her.

“Erm.. huh?”

“What are you doing?” I repeated.

“Oh nothing.”

I moved in superspeed to move behind her and look over her shoulder at the screen she was writing a post on her Facebook wall. ‘Omfg saw Laura Hollis drinkin blood in town she’s a vamp now!!!’ 

“Little news announcement for everyone?” I asked. She and her boyfriend leapt out of their skin when they realized I was behind them. 

“I-I-I-I well,” she stammered.

“Laura!” Carmilla snapped angrily. “Sit down.”

I made my way back to the sofa and plonked myself down, I shot her a look but she scowled at me. 

“Behave yourself,” she mumbled, it was barely audible, no one else would have been able to hear her. I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted. I wasn’t going to do anything, just intimidate them a little bit. 

“Well it was nice seeing you,” the girl said, standing as she grabbed her boyfriend’s hand and yanked him up and made a rushed exit leaving their drinks.

“People are going to find out you know?”

“Just to write out a bulletin in front of me? Doesn’t that seem impolite.”

“Not really, but what can you do? Rip her fingers off?”

“I could…”

“Cutie?”

“Oh you’re allowed to constantly threaten everyone but I can’t?”

“Precisely. That is precisely right. Now. Now this Lisa girl disappeared?”

“Yeah I wanted to ask you about that,” I said, quickly turning it on her, “what did you tell her with your vampire mind powers.”

“Vampire mind powers?!” She pinched the bridge of her nose shaking her head. “Told her to forget about what happened, forget what happened to her and you. I hope I didn’t put it on a bit strong and fried her mind…”

“Fried her mind? Permanently?”

“No, not at all, just daze her, maybe she felt really off and needed to go to her parents? Maybe Will got to her…” She mused worrying her bottom lip with the tip of canine. 

“Come on it’s the college gossip mill they inflate everything way beyond belief. She may have had a scheduled vacation for the break, we don’t know,” I lied reassuringly. I am literally getting away with murder. Good for me. 

“Well anyway fuck it,” Carmilla said shaking her head to clear it. “You seem to be adapting pretty well cutie.”

“Thanks, I do have you!”

“Aww, still a ball of sunshine?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded exaggeratedly, smiling broadly. 

After a few moments of awkwardness we got back into regular conversation, I tried to tell her why she was wrong about Doctor Who and how tv budgets meant you needed to suspend your disbelief. She wasn’t buying it at all. We finished our drinks and left hand in hand walking back to my apartment, at the door she stopped.

“Do you think you need some time alone?” She asked.

“I really don’t know…”

“Should I come up?”

I nodded.

We got back into my room and she swore and disappeared the front door opening and closing. I withdrew my phone from my pocket.

Will: Want to do something two nights from now?

Laura: Sounds great x

Will: Good. I have a plan.

Exciting! I deleted the texts once more. Carmilla came back a couple minutes later and I heard her close the fridge door. Oh blood. We had run out after all.

She got into the bed with me and snuggled up to me. 

“What movie now?” She asked.

“Love Actually?”

“I will punch you right in the face.”

“Erm…”

“The Hills Have Eyes?”

“What’s that about?”

“Oh you’ll love it,” she smiled. I didn’t love it, at all, it was horrifying, while she grinned herself through the horror and gore as I nuzzled up to her and hid behind my hands and the sheets. 

By the time sun up rolled around I made an internal decision to never let her pick a movie ever again. Horrible, horrible stuff. We spooned together as sleep overcame me.

I was in the desert, the sun was pitch black, casting a hollow light over the sand. I turned 360 degrees and there was nothing but open expanse as far as I could see. I turned my back to the black sun and walked forward in the opposite direction. The sand bank rose ahead of me and I climbed the gradient. It pooled and the grains spilt under my feet. I reached the peak and there was a small town off in the distance. 

I headed towards it. The buildings looked derelict and abandoned I entered the town, there were scorch marks burnt into the sand and wooden walls. There was a main building, it looked like an old West Saloon. I pushed the swinging doors open and was met with an empty bar and an empty seating area. I walked up the stairs to the bedrooms and checked each of them they were empty too. 

I walked back to the balcony and the bar had changed. There were dead people sitting in each of the chairs, a dead barman propped up on the bar. They all had neck wounds, puncture marks. A figure moved and I tried to catch a glimpse but the tavern bars were swinging closed. 

I ran down the stairs and pushed them open, the figure was moving to the centre of the town, dragging a corpse by the wrist behind them. 

“Hey!” I called after them. They stopped dropping the body and turned. Lilita. I should have known. She dropped to her knees in the sand and bowed her head holding her arms straight out, fists clenched. She started laughing as I approached and leapt to her feet in one swift motion. I stopped in front of her looking up at her smiling face.

Wordlessly she put her extended fingers under my chin and pulled me up to her. She bent and lightly kissed me on the corner of the mouth, I turned and captured her lips, she kissed me deeply her tongue snaking out into my mouth and her arms around my back.

After a few moments she broke the kiss and pulled my ear to her mouth.

“Find me!”

I shuddered awake. Carmilla woke as I did. 

“You ok cupcake?” 

“Just not used to sleeping then waking on cue,” I lied.

“Yeah I forget you’re a baby,” she cooed tickling my side, ahh I jumped away and fell off the bed. “Ha! I don’t think I’ve met a clumsy vampire before.” Eugh, Will said the same thing. 

“Can I ask you something?” I said as I crawled on back onto the bed. 

“Shoot.”

“Who was your maker?”

“I don’t want to talk about that…” She said frowning deeply. 

“Why?”

“She’s long gone, it doesn’t matter. I cast her off a century ago.”

“She’s dead?”

“As good as,” she said cryptically. “Look this is a really sensitive subject for me, I would rather not talk about it.” 

“Ok…” As good as dead, isn’t dead is it. Lilita wanted me to find her… I could ask Will. 

“I need to go home and change,” she said. 

“Aw.”

“I’ll see you soon, tomorrow?”

“I was going to try to hang out with Laf and Perry tomorrow… You know try to reconnect,” I lied.

“Fair enough, well day after then. I don’t think I can bear anymore Doctor Who shit.”

“Well I can’t bear any more spooky movies!”

“You’re such a wimp.”

“And you can’t appreciate great British Sci-fi!” 

She shot me a wide genuine grin and gave me a soft kiss goodbye. I changed into my sweatpants and a loose t-shirt and wandered into the kitchen to microwave some blood. I was right about striking a balance, I could do stuff with Will one night and hang out and do couple stuff with Carm the next night. 

I just hung out until Laf and Perry got back from where ever they had been. Laf came into my room.

“Hey L! Now don’t be mad…”

“That’s not a good way to start a conversation,” I replied as I covered up the blood stained sheets with the duvet. 

“We ran into Danny and she really wants to make amends so I told her to swing by later tonight…”

“Ok. Ok, yeah that’s probably a good idea. You guys are away a lot I noticed.”

“Perry is a little wary of you dude.”

“Right,” I said a little crestfallen. “I thought Carm had a talk with you guys about it.”

“Well she did yeah, but it’s tough to be convinced when she is wary of Carmilla too.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll text Danny and give her the green light then.” 

“Ok.”

“So shower, change whatever.”

“I don’t think I need to shower anymore. I don’t sweat and my hair always looks nice,” I twirled a strand, “if I do say so myself.” 

Less than an hour later the buzzer went off and I heard Perry going to answer it and let Danny in. They exchanged pleasantries. I wandered out of my bedroom to see her sitting at the kitchen table. She looked ruined. Pale as death, I could smell her blood, it smelt weak.

“Hey Laur,” she said quietly glancing up at me quickly and glancing back down to the table.

“Hey Danny!” I said upbeat, “I haven’t seen you since you drugged me and tried to feed me to your slave owner.”

“Hey!”

“Hey!? Hey what?” 

“I came to make amends.”

“Really? Why do I smell silver on you?”

“Huh?”

I moved at speed to her and tore a can out her pocket. I sat back down opposite her and turned the cylinder around in my hand examining it. It was the same silver aerosol can Suzie burnt half my face off with. I crushed it and threw it over my shoulder. 

“Now we can talk.”

“Sorry Laur, I was just scared.”

“Why are you here Danny?”

“Will told me to see you…”

“Shut up,” I snapped. She opened her mouth. “Shut your mouth now.” I checked over my shoulder for Perry and Laf but they had gone into their bedroom to give us some privacy. I could feel their heartbeats through the door. “Keep your voice down.”

“Ok I’m sorry. Sorry. I just did what I was told to do. Will said you two had reconciled.”

“Yeah we have but no one else knows, especially not Carmilla!” I hissed.

“He told me to come and give you a gift.”

“Well?”

She pulled back her sleeve to reveal an arm covered in bite marks barely healed. I just stared. 

“Ok, come into my bedroom.” I lead her into my room and closed my door behind us. She held out her arm and I detracted my fangs and bit into a patch which hadn’t been affected yet. I drank until I heard and felt the blood slowing and forced myself back. Her blood was weak, but still better than some from a bottle. 

“Thank you,” she murmured her eyes barely open, rocking on her feet. 

“Get out.”

She nodded and stumbled her way out covering her arm with her sleeve once more. 

My phone buzzed.

Will: Enjoy my little gift sis?

Carmilla: text or call me if you need to talk I’m here for you x

Oh god I have dug a hole for myself haven’t I?


	14. F O U R T E E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You need to lose your way to find it again

The next night I was meant to ‘do something,’ with Will, vague plans made my skin itch. I still needed to ask him about Lilita. I dreamt of her again, dreamt of kissing her in a garden made entirely of thorns, having her caress my hair and stroke the back of her cold hand down my face and telling me to ‘find her.’ Carmilla said she was ‘as good as dead,’ which suggested she wasn’t dead. Unless I’m just going crazy, it could be insanity, but it did feel real, though I’m sure mad people don’t know if they’re mad or not and convince themselves their madness is normality. 

Best not to dwell on it when awake.

I wandered aimlessly around my apartment trying hard not to repeatedly check my phone. I lied to Laf and Perry and told them I was out with Carmilla later, whereas I told the reverse was true to Carm. They have no reason to discuss and check with each other whether I was lying. It should be fine, absolutely fine. No need to panic or worry. None at all. 

Around 10.30 my phone finally buzzed. I scrambled off my chair and grabbed it. 

Will: Outside 20 mins.

Will: Don’t dress like a tramp. 

Laura: cya soon x

I wonder if it’s just a coincidence brother and sister are both so charming, or without charm to be more accurate. Maybe their elusive maker, who I was kinda dream cheating with, chose people with a certain personality, an abrasive one. Maybe she trawled through Europe looking for the bitchiest people she could find. I dressed in my black jeans and black shirt, I should really go shopping, probably online and order some black stuff to be all cool.

I snuck out of the apartment and there he was sitting on top of the bus stop.

“Do you think that makes you cool?” I asked him, looking up.

“I am cool, so anything I do is by definition cool,” he said cockily jumping down gracefully. “Now tonight, I thought about going to a vampire bar.”

“I already went there with Carm when we were…”

“Trying to find the murderer.”

“You?”

“Yes me, don’t give that look, you’ve killed in cold blood too.” 

“Fair enough I suppose.” 

“Precisely. Also not that bar, Christian is a shit head and runs a shit hole.”

“Carm thought the same.”

“Weirdly we have a lot of similarities. I guess we were chosen for those reasons.”

“I was just thinking that!” 

“Clever girl. Now there is a better bar in the city, very good human to vampire ratio, plus no one will recognize either of us.” 

“Ok… The city? That’s like 40 miles away isn’t it?”

“Yeah… That’ll take a few minutes to run. Don’t be lazy, lazy and clumsy as a vampire, Jesus,” he said rubbing the bridge of his nose like Carmilla would. “Come on, keep up.” He disappeared, then reappeared in my vision as I started to run too. It was difficult to follow him correctly as he took sharp turns and I missed one turning and sped down a wrong alley. I turned to see him leaning at the end of the alley’s wall grinning. “Come on you spas.” Off we went again. 

This was the longest I had travelled in my vampiric speed and when we stopped on the outskirts of the nightclub district of the city I felt a little drained. It was a new feeling of drained, not like a heavy exercise or workout session just an empty feeling and deep need from inside for something. Blood I guess. 

“You alright there sis?”

“Uh-huh,” I nodded, bending over and placing my hands on my knees breathing in and out. 

“Are you all tuckered out?” He asked sarcastically. Another thing Carm had said. Hmm spooky. 

“I am.” 

“Think of this nightclub like a buffet. An alcoholic infused buffet.”

“Great.” 

“Let’s go then, try not to trip over your own feet, or spill any drink all over yourself.”

“Hey!” I called after him as he strode off leading the way. “Am I underdressed by the way?” I asked, he was wearing a suit without a tie like usual.

“Compared to me? Yes. For this place? No.”

We turned onto a broad, pedestrianized street with lines of people outside a lot of different clubs. Will strode ahead confidently, he got a lot of stares from girls. I had to struggle to keep up. We got to the biggest club on the street, it had a fancy sign reading; “LIFE.” Oh how clever. The line outside was long but Will just walked in past the bouncers nodding to one. I followed as I heard people groan and complain we were given instant entry from the line. 

The music was deafeningly loud at first, but my ears adjusted and I could hear conversations and customers shouting orders to the bartenders. Will pointed up the stairs and I followed him up. The next floor was a wider dancefloor with a live DJ but we didn’t stop we carried on to the next level and then the next. When we got to the top the club changed, half of the ceiling was open, there was a net blocking the open sky with a bar at the end. There were seats around the sides of the walls with small circular tables and bolted down seats around them dotted across the floor. 

He walked forward leading me still towards the bar and leant against it. He was getting looks from all the girls who saw him, no wonder he was such an arrogant bastard. 

“Hey!” He called to the bartender, who a gorgeous women in a cocktail dress, don’t stare Laura. Actually all the wait staff had similarly hot outfits on. She approached and was a little slack jawed when she saw Will. 

“Yes?” She stammered.

“Do you have that horrible artificial blood shit?”

“Yes.”

“Right we’ll split a bottle, that ok sis?” 

“Yeah that’s fine,” I said. 

“Ok coming right up!” She walked off to get it, looking over her shoulder to look at him again. 

“Are there any other vampires here?” I asked looking around.

“No, just us.”

“I thought you said this a vampire bar?”

“Did I? Oh no, it’s a regular one. Though suppose it is now we’re here. They serve the blood too.”

“Oh,” I said looking down.

“Jealous of my affect on the ladies?” He smirked at me, leaning an elbow on the bar as even more of the female clientele checked him out walking past.

“I have a really hot girlfriend,” I said defensively. 

“If you say so,” he said wrinkling his nose with disgust. “Thanks sweetheart,” he said to the woman when she brought back two tumblers full of the red fake blood as he lazily tossed a $100 bill on the countertop the way Carm would. “Eugh, utter filth,” he commented holding the glass out in front his face surveying it aloofly. 

“It’s ok I suppose,” I said drinking half the glass, feeling a lot better, some the lost energy from the run returning to me. 

“You’re just thirsty from a tiny bit of exercise,” he dismissed me. I drained my glass. 

“Well I need another,” I told him, I was exhausted and it really helped. “Excuse me!” I waved to a different woman behind the bar who finished serving a patron before coming over. “Hey can I get a bottle of A- please?”

“Certainly,” she smiled at me warmly, walking off.

“Greedy,” Will said. He wasn’t looking at me, he was staring down at a group of girls, with a predatory look. “The lesson tonight is feeding in public, well bathroom stalls, seducing them back their place, don’t have to fuck ‘em if you don’t want to, but getting them to willingly let you feed on them.”

“Ok, sounds neat.”

“Neat?! Oh give me strength. Just don’t do it in public or else you know… Villagers, pitchforks all that.”

“Got it.” 

“So be smooth and I don’t want to have to flee a mob by hiding in a windmill.”

“I haven’t seen any windmills in this state…”

“Oh my god, I wasn’t being serious. Come on I want to smoke.”

“You smoke?”

“At places like this, it’s an easy way to strike up a conversation. It isn’t going to kill me… Win win.”

He strolled over to the back of the floor where people were smoking and the netting covering the ceiling stopped to just reveal open sky. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from inner pocket and clicked his finger under it; a small flame erupting at his command. Wow, I wonder if I can do that… I probably have no special powers… He offered me one and I declined as he blew smoke into my face. 

“Woah that was so awesome,” a girl and 2 of her friends walked over to us. “Did you just create fire?!”

“Yeah,” he clicked his fingers like a magician and a small burst of flame appeared and disappeared. 

“That’s amazing,” she said starey eyed, placing her drink down. “I’m Meghan by the way and this is, Lucy and Taylor,” she pointed out her two other friends.

“Will, this is my little sister Laura.”

“Your sister?”

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Oh good,” she smiled at him. I couldn’t help snort a small laugh at how desperate she was being, her mute friends came and put their drinks down too.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” they greeted us in turn.

“Nice to meet you I’m sure,” I said, oh great I was in an awkward club conversation which I had tried to avoid for ages. Sip your drink and tap your foot and look around like you’re checking the place out. Yeah nothing wrong with the floor, all the lights seem to working, no out bulbs. The blonde girl I think called Taylor shifted around the table to stand next to me as Will moved towards the other two, who were already starting to paw over him a little. 

“Hey,” she smiled shyly at me, “Taylor, again.”

“Laura.”

“Yeah, so that’s your brother?”

“So you were like siblings who got, were, erm, became vampires together? That’s cool.”

“No, we have shared blood.”

“Oh, ok,” she frowned a little confused. I was bombing, my mind was drawing absolute blanks. 

“So you from around here?”

“Yeah I live nearby… You?”

“I’ve lived here my whole life, it’s soooo boring I want to move to New York or LA or somewhere exciting!” She rambled.

“I’m from New York state, Long Island, it’s pretty quiet out there.”

“Were you like around when like the Founding Fathers were signing shit?”

“No!” I burst out offended, she looked hurt. Will shot me a dirty look. “No not that old.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m…” Wait saying I’m 21 would be very disappointing, she’s older than me. “That’s a rude question to ask a vampire,” I said trying to sound mysterious and not grumpy.

“Hey sis we’re going to dance, wanna come?”

“No, I don’t dance.”

“Probably a good idea, I can imagine you tripping over your spassy feet and face planting,” he smirked at me. I punched him in the arm.

“Aw you guys are adorable!” Meghan squeaked as she and the brunette linked their arms either side of Will and walked off.

“I don’t like dancing either,” Taylor said shooting me a small smile and edging around the table closer to me. “Hey it’s pretty loud in here isn’t it?”

“I can hear fine,” I replied obliviously. 

“Well I don’t have vampire hearing,” she said really quietly barely above a whisper.

“Fair enough, we could go somewhere more quiet,” I responded finally picking up on her hinting. “I’ve never been here before,” I told her looking around. 

“Oh I have! There aren’t many clubs in this town… One floor down they have booths and couches. An intimate bar…” The suggestive in her tone was so blatant.

“Lead the way,” I said picking up my drink as she gave me a broad smile and linked her fingers through mine and lead me away downstairs. I saw Will was dancing with both the other girls together, they moving like strippers. I really shouldn’t be judgemental considering what I’m doing. Holding another girl’s hand, in a club, lying to my girlfriend, all bad, but blood was good so I think it evens out. If I don’t analyse it too much.

We walked down the stairs, I was still holding hands with this Taylor girl. I could feel the pulse near her wrist pulsing through her palm into mine and it was enough to push me to continue. I didn’t really look at this level on my ascent to the top floor, it had several smaller rooms, which were separated from each other. There were two bars either side of the corridor which broke into rooms. 

“Want a drink?” I asked her.

“Yes please!” She beamed at me. Still was holding her hand.

“Well?” I said as we moved towards one of the smaller bars.

“Vodka, coke please,” Taylor asked smiling sweetly. 

I ordered for her, I still had half a tumbler full, the man serving the drinks gave me two free shots of tequila for some reason. 

“Can you drink that?” 

“No,” I shook my head.

“May I?”

“Sure.”

She knocked both back. That hurt my throat remembering what raw shots tasted like in quick succession, though if I am being predatory I suppose that’s a good thing. The more inebriated the better. Taylor led me to a booth, I used the opportunity to take a proper look at her, she was tall, thin, tanned, she had nice legs I decided as she walked round a corner looking over her shoulder at me. 

The room had a big open door, well not door, it was just open plan, with black couches built into the wall all around it and two booths with a table in the middle and seats that stretched around the wall in the corner. One was free and she pointed it out and I nodded. We went over and she let me sit first and slid in first round to rest against the wall, attempting to look cool. She sat down near but not next to me and sipped on her drink.

“So you’re from New York huh?”

“New York State,” I corrected, “I’m not from the big city or anything exciting.”

“Oh.” 

Great I’m bombing. Holy shit, I’m not even smooth as a vampire. 

“So what do you do?” I asked. Christ I’m dull. Don’t mention Doctor Who… Though if she likes it would really break any tension. No! Don’t take the risk. 

“I’m just starting out at an office, it really sucks, data entry.”

“You think that sucks I used to work in a bar.” 

“Same when I was at college a few years ago.” 

I bet she thought I was a lot older than her rather than the other way around. She was probably 30. 

“I didn’t mind it too much,” I said struggling for topics.

“So what’s it like being a vampire?! If you don’t mind me asking? I just have never met one before and then I meet you and your brother. Meghan is convinced sex with a vampire is amazing, I think that’s why she and Luce are throwing themselves at your brother.”

“It’s pretty good yeah,” I smiled. Pretend you’re not awkward and uncomfortable. 

“Really?” She leant her cheek on one hand and ran her hand through her hair playfully. Oh so she was trying to be seductive instead of me. Great job there Hollis. “By the way what does that stuff taste like?”

“Tofu to a steak.”

“Really? So what’s a steak?”

“What do you think?”

She giggled and smiled widely at me and took a deep sip of her drink before picking mine up. “May I?” She asked, I just nodded. She sniffed it and took the smallest of sips and coughed. “Eww, that is fucking horrible.”

“What did you think it would taste like?”

“Well I’ve sucked the blood from a cut before, so like that I guess?”

“It has no life to it, it’s sustenance nothing more,” I said taking the glass from her hand and sipping it, she clasped a hand to her mouth and then placed it over mine when I put the drink down. I think I was pulling off the whole experienced vampire who lived an age well.

“Ew, I can’t believe you can drink that!” She full of energy now, it was probably the double tequila mixing with the vodka she was now having. She left her hand there and started stroking my hand. Shooting me a small smile before going back to her straw. Can’t blame her straws are fun. 

“Can I see your fangs?” She asked after a moment’s silence. 

“Sure,” I smiled and reached up with a finger pulled my top lip up.

“I thought they would be longer than that…”

“Tmese raah,” I started before dropping my lip so I could talk, “these aren’t my fangs, they’re just my canines.” I put my hand back up and let the long teeth slide down as her eyes grew wide with amazement. 

“Can I?” She asked tentatively raising a hand, I nodded, and she touched the tip of my exposed canine, “ow,” she pulled her hand back as she nicked her finger. “Sharp.” I smelt the fresh blood and I felt my own blood start to heat up and boil. She caught me staring, fixated on the wound and wordlessly offered it to me and I took her hand and sucked the blood from the tiny cut. It went dry and I made a small, involuntary growling noise inside my chest.

“Can I get you another drink?” I offered. “Now I’ve had one.”

She smiled bashfully and nodded, I got up and fetched her a double vodka and coke. Any thought of ‘what am I doing?’ This is wrong! Went when I had a small taste of her blood. I needed more. 

“Thanks!” She beamed at me as I slid the glass across the table and showing off moved in superspeed to sit back down next to her. “Shit! Wow that was awesome. Can you teleport?!”

“No, I move real fast.” Real fast? Eugh. 

“That’s so cool, it must be amazing you’re like a real life Superhero,” she said in awe her hand falling to rest on mine again. 

“Yeah there are some perks, no more sunshine though,” I remarked sadly.

“Aw do you miss it?” She asked squeezing my fingers with her own.

“I suppose,” I replied trying to sound cryptic, as opposed it being around a week since I last went out for a sunny stroll in the park. I looped my thumb over the top of her fingers and reciprocated the caress. 

“It must be difficult… Living your life in the dark…” She said glancing up at me and then back down at her drink. 

“It isn’t dark for me.”

“You can see in the dark?”

“I can, I can see distant planets and stars.”

“Wow!” She was drunk. She shifted closer to me along the seat, she slipped a little as she moved and I grabbed her drink from her to stop her spilling it. “Sorry, shit.” She cried out smiling as she took the glass back and lightly patted my thigh, “thanks,” leaving her hand on my leg. 

“It’s ok, I used to drop things all the time when I was human,” I admitted, brushing my hair behind my ear.

“I can’t believe that!” Her hand started stroking my thigh softly, running her finger to my inner leg and letting them rest there. I think I pulled off being an old vampire pretty well, that or this girl was starstruck so to speak at meeting her first vampire. “Sorry am I coming across all desperate and annoying?”

“No I’m having fun, I wasn’t sure what to expect coming here, I kinda guess my brother would go off with some girls and I’d be standing around awkwardly tapping my foot.”

She laughed, “really?! No!”

“Yeah,” I smiled back, “I guess I’m a worrier.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed, you’re some powerful vampire, you’re beautiful what do you need to worry about?”

“Thanks, I overthink things a lot, you are too by the way.”

“What? A Vampire?”

“No! Beautiful.”

She smiled shyly again, and looked down at her drink pushing it away, before looking up at me and timidly leaning in and kissing me quickly and pulling back to check I was ok with that. I worked the tip of my canine into my lip and pushed her hair back behind her ear and she grinned and leant back in. 

So I in a big nightclub, kissing a pretty girl who came onto me, in the city. I just had push any guilt from my mind, not that I was really feeling any, more the feeling of guilt for the absence of guilt. 

Taylor slid her hand up my thigh and dug her nails into the skin through my pants. She did what I did with Carm and ran her tongue onto the tips of my canines. I liked the feeling of being this desirable, really liked the feeling. 

“Hey.”

I snapped back from the kiss and saw Will was with Lucy and Meghan, his hand round each of their waists, he was smiling knowingly at me.

“These lovely ladies invited me back to their place sis,” he told me.

“Oh we all live together,” Taylor told me taking her hand from my leg, “do you want to go with them? Hang out?”

I looked up at Will who shot me a look which heavily implied ‘say yes.’ 

“Sure sounds great.”

We moved out of the booth and she linked her hand with mine again and we followed Will and the other two girls. We descended the stairs to the bottom floor and hailed a taxi outside.

They lived above a furniture store, it reminded me of my own apartment, except inside it was much nicer, I suppose they were 3 professionals around 30 not 3 students. 

They had three bedrooms a proper kitchen and a proper den. It was really modern and chic, is that a word people use? It was really nice regardless.

“Who’s this?” Will asked taking a picture of man in army uniform off the wall.

“Oh my great-grandfather!” Meghan piped up rushing over to him, “he fought in the First World War, won like a shit load of medals!”

“I fought in WW1,” Will said in a low voice, “it was fucking depressing.”

“Wow, so you’re like a war hero?” Lucy asked him. Taylor had come back to my side and was playing with my hair, she was drunk. They all were. Everyone except Will and I.

“Yeah, I guess I am!” Will perked back up, he seemed to be having a moment there. “I’m a very impressive individual ain’t that right sis?”

“If you say so,” I said, Taylor laughed at my awful attempt at humor. 

“You have a cocktail shaker?” Will asked taking the silver canister from a shelf in the kitchen. “Want me to mix you ladies some drinks?” They all agreed enthusiastically. He took cranberry juice, lime, triple sec and vodka in the mixer and a tiny bit of sugar and shook it in superspeed, the metal container moved at an impossible blur for a moment before my eyes adjusted and saw just his hand moving up and down shaking.

“Wow!”

“That’s amazing.”

“I’m pretty good with my hands,” Will smirked turning to get three glasses out. Ew he was being gross. He poured the liquid out and handed the drinks around.

“That is delicious, you can hardly taste the vodka!”

“I put a lot in.” 

“You have a real skill.”

“Like I said impressive person,” he smiled cockily. 

“Wanna go into our den? It’s really nice,” Lucy offered, she and Meghan never took their eyes off Will, they were truly smitten and I could feel Taylor’s gaze resting on me. Did Carmilla do this to me? Is it just the effect of vampire’s seduction. Was I really attracted to her or was it some irresistible supernatural pull. No! Bad Laura, pay attention to the situation at hand. 

Taylor took my hand again and led me first into their den as the other’s followed us from behind. Taylor dragged me down onto a wide sofa right next to her as Will took the armchair and the others took the other sofa. Meghan put on some music, just background stuff.

“Isn’t this nice?” Lucy said to break the silence which had broken out.

“Not scared to have invited us into your apartment?” Will smirked. 

“Should we be?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

He just smiled.

“I’m not scared of you,” Taylor whispered into my ear. Will smiled at me knowingly again. Fuck it, just dive off the deep end.

“Oh yeah? Well maybe you should be…” I said turning to her, twisting my torso to face her and grinning wide enough to reveal the tips of the my teeth. She giggled and leant in kiss me again. 

“Wow you two are getting on, I thought you put the girl on girl stuff behind after college,” Meghan laughed.

“Maybe I was waiting for the right girl to go back to my old ways,” Taylor replied, while still talking into my mouth before pecking me lightly. She leant away to grab her drink, I could smell the alcohol infused with her blood. 

“You should be flattered sis,” Will drawled. 

“Fuck off you cocky dick,” I snapped at him not being serious.

“Oh, she’s got claws,” Meghan commented, “you do seem like a cocky dick to be fair… But that’s ok, I kinda like it.” 

“Me too!” Lucy perked up. They both gave him eyes. 

“Want to go to my room?” Taylor offered quietly. 

“Sure.”

She stood up and took my hand and lead me to the door.

“We’re retiring,” she told the room.

“Have fun.” 

“Night.”

“See you in a bit sis.” 

Taylor walked all the way to kitchen and got herself even more alcohol, before turning to one of the rooms and leading me in. It was a big room, with an en suite, a big bed and a wardrobe covering an entire wall and a desk with a laptop. There was a picture of her and a man hugging on a beach. I walked over and picked it up.

“Who’s this?”

“My boyfriend,” she admitted guilty, rushing over and taking it from me and placing it face down. “He’s out of town all this month. Besides it’s not cheating with a girl.”

“Oh really?”

What the hell had I got myself into, I was just going to feed on her, then it was kissing and light touches, now I was probably going to cheat on my girlfriend with a girl who had a boyfriend, and just no guilt. I didn’t feel any, the promise of feeding overwhelmed it. Besides, I reasoned, if I committed murder surely cheating was fine. Yeah that makes sense. 

I sat on her bed while she turned over a couple of other photographs. She looked over her shoulder at me seductively and unzipped the back of her dress. That was rather forward. She had a great body, toned and flaring at the hips. In just her black matching bra and panties she moved over to me and straddled my hips, her hair cascading over my face and neck. I kissed her neck, licked a patch up her throat feeling my fangs detract.

“No, no, no, no,” she said, “not my neck.”

“There are other veins,” I murmured in between quick, heated kisses, running the back of my nails across the inside of her thighs. 

“That’s fine, I just don’t want something too visible,” she whispered kissing me, her tongue sliding into my mouth. I stood up, supporting her body weight, it must have looked ridiculous with her being a lot taller than me. I turned her around and threw her to the bed. I pulled her underwear off as she raised her hips to help me and kissed a trail to her centre. I ran my tongue through her as she moaned a little, softly. I guess this was officially cheating. I moved my tongue up and down over her clit, focussing on my tongue to move at speed. I managed to do it and she started arching her back and twitching, screaming immediately. Less than 20 seconds later she gasped and let out a slow long breath. I took the chance to bite deep into her thigh, sucking down the warm blood which flowed. She squeaked with shock at first.

“Oh shit that feels good,” she mumbled. I licked across the two puncture marks and moved up her body to kiss her, letting her taste her sex and her blood. “Ok,” she broke our kiss. “Ok, it was true what people say about fuckin’ vamps.” She threw her head back on the pillow and breathed out slowly. I lowered myself down her again, and put my mouth over her clit and again and repeated what I did before, this time I pushed two of fingers into her. She was so wet they slid in easily and I moved my hand and my tongue in superspeed. 

It took seconds for her to finish again but I didn’t stop, over and over I continued until she was thrashing back and forth screaming out loud at the top of lungs. When I finally broke she just lay back, her eyes rolling back in her head, her leg spasming and her shoulders twitching. I took the chance to go back to reopening the puncture in her upper thigh and drinking some more of her essence. I could hear moaning from another room, Will was fucking the other two women by the sounds of it. 

I pulled away, licking my lips, savoring the blood. I could feel the familiar taste of alcohol in her blood, this made it all worth it. We did switch positions and she was eager but clearly out of practice. I still appreciated the effort, as amateurish as it was, I did manage to finish once, it helped to think about the feeling of drinking her blood. 

Will knocked on the door and told me we should get going before the sun killed us. Tactfully put. Taylor insisted she took my number and texted me to give her mine. A willing blood bag was probably a good thing. She was snoozing before I got out of the door. 

“Have fun?” Will asked as we got to street level. 

“Yeah, I feel like I should feel bad but I just don’t.”

“Why should you? You’re just indulging your primal instincts. It isn’t cheating, cheating is having another emotional relationship, sex is just a cheap thrill.”

That makes sense. Or do I just need it to make sense? No, no it does.

“Right back to Silas.”

We sped our way back, I didn’t feel nearly as tired and wiped out this time. 

“I had fun tonight,” Will announced, “you’re good company.”

“We barely spent any time together…”

“Still. It was fun.” 

“Yeah it was, how were those two girls?”

“Great, nice alcoholic cocktail, threesome makes it more interesting. What about your one? You didn’t need heightened hearing to hear that broad’s noises.”

“It was fun.”

“I’m glad. See you later sis.”

“You too bro, thanks for a fun night.”

I snuck into my apartment, it was about 4am, I had a couple hours to chill out and do nothing until sunup and sleepy time. I checked my phone for the first time all night.

Carmilla: Thinking of you xx

Oh shit again.


	15. F I F T E E N

I was sitting at the kitchen table having just got up when Laf and Perry came into the apartment.

“Hey L, we were in college today and we spoke to someone about suspending your position there. You know transferring credits and all that.”

“Oh thanks, what did they say?”

“That you would need to go in during the day to talk face to face…” 

“Terrific.”

“I’m sure they’d be accommodating,” Perry reassured me. She was definitely becoming more comfortable around me again. 

“Yeah the college is well known to be friendly to my kind…”

“Your kind? Familiarized with your new lifestyle?” Laf smirked pulling a chair up next to me as Perry busied herself making them coffee.

“Better soon rather than later.” 

“I noticed you wear black now… Living up to an image?”

“I… Well actually… You know what?.. Shut up,” I finished realizing I had nothing. 

“Well said. Thanks Perr-bear,” Laf took a coffee. It smelt rotten, the steam rising off it was irritating my nose, I pulled back on my chair. “So did you have fun last night?”

“Oh yeah, it was nice.”

“Couple vampire chicks having fun!” Laf said. “You’re still a complete dork.”

“Hey! Anyway, I was thinking of heading to the Anvil tonight, I guess I don’t work there anymore, but I was going to check in with Kirsch see what he’s up to, I haven’t seen him in ages.”

“Well technically you do still work there, you haven’t been fired or let go…” Perry said slowly. “Yeah it’s probably best to see what’s happening.” 

“Kirsch will be happy to see you,” Laf agreed, “he’s the only person who’ll probably treat you exactly the same, like nothing has happened.” 

“It’ll be good to see him,” I said getting up from the table to go get changed. I took my phone off charge and texted Carmilla.

Laura: Going to the Anvil soon to see Kirsch xx

Carmilla: I’ll swing by x

Ok great. A split life was pretty easy to lead. No one ever finds out who Batman is do they? Or do they? I don’t know if that reference works. But still I was balancing things well. Good job me, pat on the back. I got changed into casual clothes and left saying goodbye to my room mates.

I decided to walk normally, instead of moving super fast, enjoying the cool early evening, the light summer breeze which was still lingering from dusk was pleasant. I had slept pretty well, I think I had, I didn’t dream once. It was the first night without vivid dreams or visions or whatever they were. I hummed and walked towards the centre of town, moving between other pedestrians, like I was floating, detached from their world. 

The horrible neon sign was lit up blaring the words ‘Anvil,’ out in bright light. I pushed opened the door and sauntered in. I don’t think I’d ever come to this place as just a customer. Danny was behind the bar and she looked up at me while pouring drinks. She smiled a nervous smile and got back to work. She looked a little better I suppose, still weak and sickly but Will had fed on others the last couple nights and she had recovered a bit. SJ was wandering from the bar to a booth with a tray of drinks. She shot me an odd look and looked away. 

Another girl who I didn’t recognize at all was taking orders. Some redhead scribbling away. She looked nervous this was likely her first or second shift. 

I walked to the bar and hopped up on the stool. 

Danny had rushed off with food and the new girl returned to the bar. It looked a little disorganized now. 

“Hi, welcome to Anvil, have to you been to this establishment before?” She asked, scrunching up her face trying to remember the line.

“I think I’m still employed here. You’ve taken my job.”

“Oh, Lara?”

“Laura!”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m new.”

“I know.”

“Right, what can I get you tonight?”

“A-.”

“A… Oh right sure,” she went to the special brand fridge where the bottles were kept and brought it back and plonked it down in front of me smiling. “Here you go.”

“You have to microwave it…” I said coldly. I don’t know why I was being so abrasive. I never got a chance to be the rude person in my life, it was nice to take that role.

“Oh sorry…”

“Go tell Kirsch.”

“Oh you know Kirsch?”

“Are you an idiot?”

“No… I don’t think so…”

“Go now.”

She rushed off looking confused and startled as Danny came back behind the bar.

“Good evening,” she said.

“Danny.”

“Are you here for…” She looked around and lowered her voice, “my blood? Did Will send you? Tell him to contact to me please,” she pleaded. Her patheticness was a little revolting. 

“No, and no and I’ll mention you to him, but not a fuckin’ word about him when Carm is about.”

“Of course.”

“I was more wondering about my job here?”

“Do you still need your job?”

“Well… I haven’t thought about it much, I was checking where we stood. I suppose I could use the money for a while especially as I’m dropping out,” I mused out loud. 

“Why are you dropping out?”

“Why do you think?” I snapped. She looked scared, like a beaten dog flinching from an abusive master. 

“Sorry. Do you want artificial blood? On the house.”

“I asked that bumbling new girl and she’s probably spilling over the kitchen floor now.”

“Oh Jenny? Yeah she’s starting at Silas next term, moved here early.”

“Really early who does that?”

“Well I thi…”

“Actually I don’t care.” 

“Right.”

“What’s up with SJ?”

“Well after Betty was killed by a vampire…”

“By Will,” I corrected, studying her face she grimaced and swallowed.

“Well, whatever, but she doesn’t like vampires very much and she definitely doesn't like you anymore…”

“Oh is that right?” I turned to look at SJ, who looked at me and then away but I kept staring trying to catch her eye, she glanced up again and quickly looked away. I could feel her squirm under my gaze, I could hear her heartbeat start increasing in intensity. I truly enjoyed being able to have this effect on people. The tiny little nerdy girl who everyone thought was a pushover who was nice and would do whatever was asked of her was gone and now I was in the power position. 

“Would you be interested in working here still then? ‘Cause I’ll have to work things out with SJ.”

“I don’t care how you do it just do it. I won’t come to set up, I can’t be here until after dark and I might not show up if I have better things to do.”

“Right… Well.”

“It’s happening ok?” I fixed her with a dark look, “ok?!” I emphasised threateningly. 

“Ok that’s ok.” 

“Great,” I smiled, as my mood changed immediately to a far more sunny disposition. I felt a presence out in the street. Seconds later Carmilla strode in, she saw me at the bar and smiled, walked over and kissed my cheek and sit down next to me.

“Hey cupcake.”

“Hey!” I leant in to kiss her neck and she purred a little. 

“Calm yourself there,” she whispered in a low sultry voice. “Didya have fun with your friends last night?”

“Yeah, yeah we just hung out and then I watched the Doctor Who YOU refused to watch after they fell asleep,” I lied. “Anyway,” I started quickly to move on from my lying, “I was just talking to Danny,” I looked up, “hey where’s she gone?”

“I saw her fleeing when I came in.”

“Oh right. Well she roofied me.”

“Yeah but I want to kill Will and I’m guessing she thinks I’d bother to waste my time questioning her.”

“Not worth it?”

“Will wouldn’t tell some blood bag, to him that is, where he is going to ground.”

“Right… Anyway I was asking about my job here. Basically told her I’d work a few shifts when I wanted.”

“Why?” She looked disgusted at the thought.

“Well why not? I need money. How do you have so much cash by the way?”

“300 year old trust fund,” she shrugged. “I sold some of dad’s paintings from his castle.”

“I don’t have anything like that, even close to that, so I may need a few shifts now and again.”

“Sucks to be you.” 

“All that eyeliner and black leather is just masking the fact you’re basically an undead rich valley girl isn’t it?” 

“Hey! Don’t push me cutie.”

“Or you’ll use daddy’s money to… To… Oh dammit,” I swore realizing I had nothing as she barked a sarcastic laugh.

“You’re still an adorable idiot.” 

“Humph!”

“Awww.” 

The new girl, Jenny, finally came back holding the blood bottle in two hands walking carefully like she was holding a diamond chalice. She placed it down in front of me not taking her eyes from it until it was on the counter top then she looked up and smiled.

“Here you go, that’ll be… Erm.”

“It’s on the house I work here, also get a glass, and another one for my girlfriend.”

“Right…” She looked left and right frantically not really sure where to start. 

“No it’s fine,” Carmilla said. “I’ll share just two glasses.”

“Sure thing, coming right up.”

“No need to be so rude cupcake.”

“Oh you were never rude to me when you first came here? And literally every single person who have subsequently talked to?”

“I wasn’t being serious, well done on picking up on sarcasm.”

“Waah, don’t be mean to me.” 

“Here you go two glasses,” Jenny said placing them down.

“Why would you put ice in them if you just heated the drink up?” I asked in disbelief taking the glass and tipping the ice cubes onto the bar floor by her feet. 

“Sorry… Sorry…” She rushed out and grabbed Carmilla’s glasses and went to pour the ice out tripping on the contents I’d thrown to the floor smashing the glass. I burst out laughing, involuntarily. SJ came behind the bar completely ignoring me and Carm helping her up.

She had cut glass in her forearm and there wa a trickle of blood running from the wounds. I just stared, contemplating jumping the counter and attacking her but I felt Carmilla’s restraining hold on my arm. SJ gave me a horrified look and hurried the new girl to the back.

“What a clutz,” I commented dryly, pretending I was as affected by the smell of blood in the air pouring the blood from the bottle into the glass and took a long deep drink to steady my nerves. It did not taste anywhere remotely as good as the aroma in the air, and definitely not as nice as Taylor’s. I finished off my glass and refilled it. 

“Can we go now?” Carmilla asked.

“No, I wanted to speak to Kirsch!”

“The lumbering idiot?”

“You know who he is, don’t act all cool.”

We chilled out as Jenny returned to work with SJ her arm covered in tape, I could still smell the fresh the blood underneath the tourniquet. 

“Look I’m going back to say hi and then we can go,” I told Carm kissing her cheek and slipping off my chair and walked around to the back and entered the kitchen. Kirsch was staring into the oven door intently. 

“Hey bro!” I said happily as he span round, his look of confusion changed to a wide grin and he ran over to me and picked me up and spun me around in a tight hug before letting me drop down. 

“Hey yourself little dead bro!” He grinned. 

“Hey, good news I still work here, just talked to Danny.”

“Oh great! Thank fuck to be honest, this place has sucked since you became all creature of the night. SJ is miserable, Danny looks and acts like a crack addict and the new girl is too scared and nervous all the time. Who knows what happened to that Suzie, she had a breakdown and moved back home apparently. Not that you’d be too sad about that right?” He rambled off, speaking a mile fast. 

“Yeah, glad I can rescue you from the boredom. I’m going to have to drop out of college though.” 

“What?! Why?!” He said looking distraught. He could go from elated to sad in a second.

“The sunlight…”

“Yeah obviously the sun but couldn’t you carry like an umbrella? Or what like fancy ladies carried a 100 years ago to keep them out of the sun?”

“A parasol?” I said laughing. 

“Sure, why not that?”

“I… I actually don’t know, I suspect that won’t work.” 

“Hey give it a go, and people won’t try to bully you if they think you’ll kill them.” 

“I suppose.”

“See, so look into the parasol idea. Or a burqa?”

“Right.”

“Shit!” He swore turning to run to the oven as black smoke leaked out of the corners and billowed when he opened it. “Sorry Laur, can we talk later?” 

“I’m going to hang out with Carm… Sooner though rather than later,” I apologized.

“Alright, see you soon!” He shouted over his shoulder as he rushed about trying to fix his mistake. 

“Hey! That’s mine!” I called over the bar to Carmilla who was finishing my drink, she looked up from the glass guiltily. She smiled showing her blood stained teeth as she placed the glass down and hopped off her chair.

“Ready?” She asked, I nodded and joined her.

“Cya later Danny, new girl, thanks for the warm reception SJ, nice of you to be so welcoming to an old friend,” I said sarcastically to her, not that she looked at me, just stared at the floor.

We left.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on her, it’s a big change for her to accept. Especially since her friend was killed by one of us.”

“She doesn’t seem to mind Danny who is feeding and fucking the murderer!” I said defensively.

“Fucking?”

“I’m guessing,” I covered myself. 

“Right…” She gave me a suspicious look, “but I doubt she knows that and even if she does then it’s just more proof to her vampires ruin human lives.”

“I’m not some vampire I’ve known her for two and a half years… Anyway whatever.”

“Oh cheer up, wanna go back to my place? The bed won’t break your little hip this time…” She offered.

“Sure,” I smiled and looped my arm into her’s and went off. “Can we just walk normally for a bit, you know enjoy the night.” 

“Why not.”

The sex was better with Carm than with Taylor, than with anyone I could imagine it being. I still didn’t feel any guilt. We lay there on the metal sheet she called a bed suspended by chains from the ceiling cuddling waiting for sunup and sleep and I just didn’t feel bad. If anything I felt pretty pleased with myself for being able to balance things so well. Went hunting with Will and had fun and hung out and had couple time with Carmilla and had a different type of fun. Well done me. 

As we fell asleep instinctively I felt nothing but pride in myself. 

I woke up and Carmilla’s apartment was pure white, like mine had been the other night. The chains holding the metal sheet bed up were white, the sheet was white as were my clothes and her’s. She was snoozing. In deep sleep. I leapt out of bed and found the door, I had to go to the wall where the door was and trail my fingernails against the surface until I found a gap and broke my fingers, the bone snapping through the skin pulling the door open.

My fingers healed quickly as I walked out of the room. The staircase was there. The one I had climbed before. I took the first step and a pool of blood rippled under my heel and went the moment I stepped to the next one. The next and the next the endless ascent. The white steps turned to black, the negative of the staircase. The pools of blood changed to a crunching noise this time screams emitted from under my feet. I looked down and faces trapped under the stairs pushed forward in screams before returning to the form.

The head of the staircase loomed finally with the figure of Lilita standing at the top staring out into the abyss which stretched in front of her. As I closed the distance towards the head of the staircase she turned, smiling warmly pulling the shawl from her head and holding her arms out welcomingly.

“Dearest daughter, join me here.”

I ran the last steps, desperate to be near her. She embraced me and kissed my forehead and turned me to face out into the abyss. Except it wasn’t the abyss. It was a globe. A flat globe, a mile from where we were, it was a detailed picture of the Earth. 

Lilita blocked my view, putting her back to the map. 

“You see?”

“I do.”

She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me to my knees in front of her and took a step backwards, her feet on the precipice. 

“Then you’re ready,” she smiled a motherly smile and bent to kiss my forehead again. “Find me,” she whispered and took another step back and fell off the edge. I scrambled to my feet to see what had happened she was falling at pace until she smashed into the floor and became a pile of blood and guts and bones. I held a hand to my mouth, but the remains didn’t stay still it pooled into a solid piece of pulsing red and started to move a bloody trail across the globe. I jumped down. I landed fine, stepping back up to my feet and ran over to the remnants following it. It sped up, up close the map was topological, the mountains and raised lumps of hills were all represented and I had to step over them as it snaked its way over North America. Until it came to rest on the Great Lakes of Michigan. It seeped into the middle of Lake Erie and melted away into the shallow water sloshing in the map. The water frothed and boiled red, the steam rising from it was crimson, the water, the blood started contracting violently and exploded in a torrent over me. 

The lake was now a crater with a red streak at the bottom. It was still bubbling, this tiny streak of red, it exploded and screamed ‘FIND ME,’ in a low demonic growl knocking me back. I tumbled backwards falling off the globe and landing at the bottom of the staircase. I opened the door to Carmilla’s dream apartment and got back into bed and closed my eyes. 

When I opened my eyes I felt Carmilla stirring next to me.

“Hey,” she mumbled, hugging me in tighter, she felt me tense up, I was thinking of the vision I had. “Something wrong?”

“I feel off…”

“Let me get you some blood,” she said kindly kissing my cheek sweetly and rolling off her bed and fetching me a bottle. “What do you want to do today?” 

“I think I need to call my college, sort some stuff out.”

“Ok, we can meet up later?”

“Sure, sounds good,” I replied giving a her fake smile. 

“Great,” she took the bottle from the microwave and gave it to me as I pulled on the last of my clothing discarded from last night. She put her hand under my chin and tilted my head back and kissed me hard. “See you later.” 

“You too,” I grinned back sweeping my hair back and leaning up to kiss her again. 

The second I got outside I called Will.

“Yeah?”

“I know where Lilita is.”

“What?! How the fuck do you know that name?!”

“I know where she is, it appeared to me in a dream.”

“What?!”

“Just trust me.”

“Meet me now.”

“At the city limits, do you know Ed’s Diner?”

“5 mins.”

The line went dead. I moved in super speed to arrive at the retro style eatery. Will was already there, just wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt, it was the first time I’d seen him casual. He was smoking a cigarette which he flicked away as he marched over to me and grabbed me roughly by the shoulders.

“What the fuck are you fucking playing at?” He demanded roughly. 

“I know where she is.”

“How do you even know her name? Did Carmilla put you up this? Was it Matska? Who? Are you fucking playing me?” He was furious.

“No, she appeared to me in dreams ever since I was turned,” I explained, knocking his arms from my shoulder. “I called you, my big brother, to ask for help not be interrogated.” 

He relaxed a little, and pulled another cigarette out and lit it with his fingers. “You still have dreams? Now? Of her? You’re sure? What did she look like?”

“Tall, beautiful, auburn hair, black eyes, she looked like a Queen.”

“Where?”

“In my dreams…”

“No stupid, where was she explain.”

So I did. The dreams, the staircase, the map, the Lake.

“Well. We need to go now.”

“Now?!”

“Now! If mother is there then we have to go now.” Before I could protest he scooped me up in his arms like Carmilla did when I was human but this time he took to the skies. We went up for a moment before moving sideways. I couldn’t make much out, the wind was pulling my face back, my hair was fluttering back painfully so, we were rushing at a ludicrous pace. 

It felt like hours had passed when we landed, skidding hard into the floor, leaving a deep hole in the earth. 

“Where are we?” I asked as he put me down, I stumbled a few paces and fell from disorientation. Eugh I did not feel good. 

“The edge of Lake Erie.”

“Right, I should have known that.”

“Yeah you should have, right what now?” He asked gruffly. 

“Huh?”

“What now?” He shouted angrily. “We’re at Lake Erie what now?”

“I don’t know,” I shouted back, my own temper flaring. “It was in the lake, the voice said ‘find me,’ from inside the water.”

“I guess we’re swimming down then,” he spat, his eyes were fixated on the dark body of water which stretched out in front of us. 

“I guess we are!” I snapped back. We walked with purpose in an angry silence towards the water’s edge.

“Now is there anything you forgot to mention but I get soaked for probably no reason?”

“If you don’t believe me why did you fly us cross country?” I retorted.

“If there was 0.01% chance of finding her I’d tear the earth apart. Now anything else?!”

“It was the dead centre of the lake right at the bottom.”

“Oh now you mention this?”

“Well you haven’t given me much of a chance, you grabbed me flew here and shouted at me the whole time!” I said as I pulled my phone and wallet from my pockets, pulled off my shoes and put them in each one. He did the same. 

“Right! Fine! I’m sorry! This is just… Unexpected. Ok so the centre of the lake? Right at the bottom?” 

“Yes! And apology accepted.” 

“Let’s go.”

He walked into the black water as I followed suit. We plunged into the depths and I stayed a body length behind him as he swam deep down, following the lowering bed of the lake as it got deeper and deeper. We swam down keeping our bodies close to the floor using it as a guide to find the depth. 30 minutes at least past maybe more as the plant life grew thicker and more dense, I had to grab hold of Will’s ankle so I didn’t lose him in the dark.

Finally after a long time we reached the deepest point of the lake. Well what seemed like the deepest point, the plant life ended and it was just sand and pebbles on what looked like an underwater desert. There was a wreck of a boat, hollowed out and encrusted in barnacles. I let go of Will’s ankle and he turned to me and pointed to the shipwreck and shrugged and made his way towards it as I followed. 

We went to the top where the deck was and entered through the broken glass where the wheel was. The door inside was locked shut with fresh steel. It was shiny and out of place in the mold and rust of the rest of the ship. Will took a hold of the lock and anchored his feet against the wall and strained back breaking the steel. The door opened and he swam down, I swam after down the tunnel into the bowels of the shipwreck.

There was a corridor with several doors leading to living rooms and cabins. At the end of the corridor was another door with fresh, shiny steel chains keeping it locked. Will repeated the process of tearing them from the door. There was a open space, with what looked like a time capsule mixed with a casket in the middle of the space. Will turned to me, it was hard to see in this dark, even with my eyes and vision but I saw him point to it. I nodded.

He swam around to one side of it and put his hand underneath the base, I copied him at the other side and we heaved lifting it up. It was heavy, even for me, but we shifted it. I started backing up, accidentally I breathed in and spluttered water out. Will shot me an annoyed look and motioned with his face to continue back. We got it out of the room it was in, out of the corridor just about out of the stairwell and out of the ship completely. 

When it was out Will swam under it and pulled me by my collar underneath it too and he placed both hands on the bottom and started pushing up kicking water back. I did the same. It was tiring. I was exhausted, I had very little left in me but I strained and pushed and made myself continue up and on. An age later we burst to the top.

“Hold on to it! Don’t let it sink!” Will cried at me. 

“I’m spent Will,” I cried out back my voice sounded like I was on the edge of tears. 

“Just a little more sis, a little more. I think we’ve found her. I fucking love you!” He shouted happily. “Look you go underwater and just prop it up I’ll push it to the shore.” 

“Right! I think I can manage that!” 

I submerged again and just propped the heavy metal box up as Will pushed and kicked it forward at an alarming rate, like a motorboat. We finally got it to shore and I collapsed on the bank. Closing my eyes and resting. I was wiped out. Will was hard at work. He was cracking the lid open throwing the large steel covering far into the lake and kicking the sides down until just a coffin was left. 

Will ran over to me and dragged me to my feet and hugged me close and kissed both of my cheeks.

“You found her! Fucking hell you found her!” 

He turned and ripped the lid off. He cried out in pain and leapt back. 

“Motherfucker! Silver,” he said putting his burnt fingers into his mouth and sucking on them.

“Will…” A weak voice came from inside. We walked together and peered in, there was a desiccated corpse inside, black and covered in tarred skin peelings, bald and pathetic, wrapped in silver chains. The eyes of the body opened. They were pure red, bloody and useless. “Laura…” It rasped as part of its charred lip fell into its own mouth. 

“Laura you wait here I’m going to find something to break these chains.” Will disappeared in a blur.

“Lilita?” I asked the corpse.

“You…” it broke into a wheezing cough, smoke and burning rose from the places the chains had embedded in the skin. “Found me.” It managed before closing the bloody eyes. 

Will reappeared holding a police officer by the neck. The man was unconscious. Will ripped his leather gloves off put them on himself and started snapping the chains. When they were all broke he cried out and pulled off the gloves which were burning, his hands were striped with burns. He grabbed the police officer and with a straight hand in a sweeping motion slit his throat open and pulled him over the casket.

“Drink mother, drink!” He begged. The corpse was dropped and two leathery hands grasped either side of the casket and pulled itself out. Not yet back to normal but functional. A leathery dried out figure, still bald, still with bloodshot eyes and no real form or features. The skin was tight and brown and black she looked like a monster but just about had the form of a woman. 

She grabbed Will with one arm and me with other and pulled our heads into her chest.

“Children you’ve found me!”

“What now?” I asked.

“First blood. A lot of blood. I need to become whole again!”


	16. S I X T E E N

Will had stuffed the dead police officer’s body into the casket and hurled it into the lake while the desiccated form of Lilita threw the man’s ruined shirt over her shoulders like a cape. We got our shoes and things back on and went to a local motel. It was a dirty motel, it wouldn’t have looked out of place in the middle of Arizona or Nevada. A grotty little shit hole. I waited out in the dark while Will went in to book a room and then lead Lilita into this dump of a room we were given, on the bottom floor facing the swimming pool. There were 3 blocks of rooms, 2 floors all built around the pool. 

We both helped her down into a box chair. She looked weak, I felt pretty weak too, only Will seemed to be firing on all cylinders rushing around fixing his mother, I guess our mother, with cushions and making sure the curtains were tightly shut. 

“Laura stay here and look after mother I’ll fetch some food.”

“Sure thing Will,” I said slowly, it was starting to dawn on me what was happening here and I didn’t really want to be alone with the monster from I am Legend. 

“You alright?” He asked me, he looked genuinely concerned this was the first time I’d seen act anything but cocky. 

“This evening has just taken a lot out of me.”

“I’ll bring us all some people. See you soon.”

He left in a hurry, whizzing away. 

“So... “ I began really awkwardly, “what’s up?” Oh no. Why did I say that?

“What’s up? The ceiling? The sky?” She rasped out. Oh of course she had been in a box for who knows how long, I would have to talk to in plain English no idium. Or 1920’s speak. Twenty-three skidoo? No that’s a terrible idea. I doubt I could call her ‘old sport,’ like Jay Gatsby. 

“Nevermind,” I mumbled nervously. 

“You did well daughter, I was waiting for one of my lineage to find me. I will have you richly rewarded. Where others need punishment. Apocalyptic punishment.”

“How long were down there?” I asked, trying to change the subject from the whole revenge and reward I was no longer sure I wanted.

“What year is it?”

“It’s summer 2015.”

“70 years then.”

“Jesus!”

“Without food, bound in silver, blind from starvation!” She rasped angrily before devolving into a nasty coughing fit. “But nevermind that,” she tried to crack a smile, it was horrific, worse than her anger, the fangs in her mouth were black and rotted, “you found me, and William helped you as I knew he would. He is a good son, unlike other children I could mention!”

“Carmilla?” I squeaked.

“For one.”

“She’s my girlfriend…”

“Well maybe you can convince her to change her rebellious ways or else…” She stopped as the door flew open and Will was leading two, what definitely would be described as prostitutes into the room. They were giggling and laughing but that abruptly stopped when they saw the monstrous figure of Lilita. They turned to Will who struck them both down in quick succession. 

He threw one to me.

“Leave most for mother,” he commanded as he brought the other girl other to the chair and offered her up the other unconscious body to her. The sounds she made as she feed were vile, tearing and slurping noises. I turned away and bit into the wrist of the woman I’d been thrown, I drank a little until I felt refreshed and dropped her to the floor. 

“I’m going to go out and get some artificial blood. She needs this more than me,” I said.

“Good point get me some, B-.”

“Artificial blood? What’s this William?” Lilita perked up.

“The world has truly changed mother. I’ll explain when you get your strength back, eat, eat,” he urged. “See you soon Laura.”

“See you guys in a bit.”

“Oh grab me some cigarettes,” he asked.

“No problem.”

I walked out of the dirty motel room and closed the door. I took a deep breath and let the air out slowly. This had got intense, really quickly. I should have kept this to myself, I should have left Will alone, I should have stayed with Carmilla… Fuck!

I made my way to the hotel reception.

“Excuse me?” I asked the man behind the counter.

“Yeah?”

“Is there anywhere around here open where I can buy some stuff?”

“There’s a gas station ‘bout quarter mile that way,” he motioned, “it’s 24/7.”

“Thanks,” I said. He hadn’t bothered looking up. 

I walked, just normal speed, I needed to kill some time. It was about 3.30am, I had quite a while until sunup, I had no need to rush. What had I done?! Had I let evil free? Was I evil? No definitely not. I was just jumping to conclusions, things had to play out, I’ve always been a worrier, over thinker. Things are probably fine. No need to make a problem before one arises, if one even does that is.

I made it to the gas station, it was deserted, just an older man snoozing behind the counter. He woke startled as the bell rung when I pushed the door open. He eyed me suspiciously. I must look odd, I was still a little wet from my deep lake dive and my hair was ragged. I just ignored him and went to the refrigerated section and pulled out a 4 pack of B- and walked to the till. 

“A pack of Marlborough too,” I asked.

He looked at the blood and gave me a dirty look, he took a pack of cigarettes from the shelf and threw them onto the counter.

“42$”

I gave him a 50 and turned to leave without taking my change. I walked back slowly. When I pushed open the motel room door, there were now 2 more dead prostitutes on the floor. 4 bodies were now ripped up on the floor, just ruined. Will was sitting on the bloody chair and Lilita was nowhere to be seen. 

“Where is she?” I asked closing the door and throwing him the cigarettes.

“In the shower.”

“Ok.” I broke the pac of blood apart and opened one to drink cold. It wasn’t nice at all but it did the job. I felt more normal again. Will sat there smoking as I just stared at the floor. 

The shower turned off and seconds later Lilita walked from the bathroom. Wow.

She was whole again. She had a towel wrapped around her chest, but her skin was back to normal, ivory white and blemish free, her wet auburn hair was loose and her gorgeous, aristocratic face was smiling warmly with plump, full lips. She stretched her arms over her head and cracked her neck side to side. She may have been the best looking human, well, vampire, thing, I had ever seen. She turned her deep blue eyes to me, looking maybe 30 to 35 in age.

“Laura,” she smiled. “Come here, give your mother a hug.”

I stood, just dropping the bottle from my hand and walked trance like to her just staring at her face and wrapped my arms around her back and held tight as she placed her arms around me. She moved one arm from me and I felt Will pressed next to me as she held us both close. 

“I’m back! I’m back!” She cried happily. “I feel alive again, tomorrow night we have some fun!”

“I can’t literally wait!” Will said equally as happy. 

“Sounds good,” I said trying to sound convincing. 

Will kicked the bottom of the bed out, so there was a crawl space underneath and we all got underneath it to sleep. Lilita went to the bathroom and dressed in one of the black cocktail dresses stripped from a hooker. Will lay on the far left, Lilita in the middle and me on the right. She wrapped her arms around me, spooning me, I responded out of fear and tucked my butt into her pelvis. She covered my face with her long, auburn hair. That was a little odd. She unbuttoned the front of my shirt with one hand and pushed her hand into the cup of my bra and just left her hand resting on my breast. Right. Well this was happening. 

I felt uncomfortable at first, but it went as she squeezed and massaged me, I was resting on the arm she was using to touch me while she trailed her other hand down to my stomach, pulling my shirt up and splaying her palm out of my stomach. I breathed out hard as she pinched and rolled my hardening nipple, the discomfort was evaporating. I rocked my shoulders back into her. 

We went to sleep like that, with her touching and caressing me.

I woke up disturbed by loud noises. I rolled out from under bed, pulling Lilita’s arms from me. I buttoned up my shirt back up and pulled open the motel room door. There was a carnival outside. A full carnival outside of the room in the place where the swimming pool had been. All the other rooms had gone. It was just our room completely separated from anything else. 

I walked into the entranceway, a giant arch with a devil’s face with a protruding tongue hanging out from it mouth on the top of it. I walked underneath it and forward into the amusement park. It was completely deserted. All the lights were on, the music was blaring, that annoying circus theme but every stall, booth and rollercoasters were on but empty. I picked up an oversized teddy bear from one of the booths and put it on my shoulders. 

“Come on Mr. Teddy,” I said out loud. 

I kept pacing forward with the bear swinging back and forth, rocking on my shoulders, skipping every other step. Finally I think I saw movement. The hall of mirrors had a flash of movement in the doorway, I made my way over to investigate. My body contorted into weird shapes in the reflections. I dropped the bear as I could distinctly make out the scuffling of feet. I crouched down and made my way towards it. At the back of the hall of mirrors the pitter patter of feet got louder. 

I think I could see children, young kids. I tried to reach out to them like trying to coax a cat to heel when I fell back and my eyes opened, I was on the floor of the motel room under the bed, my face covered in Lilita’s hair and her hands still cupping at me. I shifted a bit, as did she as did Will from across our makeshift shelter freeing myself from her grip. I rolled out from under the bed and stood up with the assistance of the mattress I helped Lilita up and she composed herself straightening out her perfect hair. She caught me staring at her and she winked. I felt like I would have blushed if I could. 

“Good evening dearest daughter!” She beamed at me, “William pass me one of these artificial blood bottle, I think I should try one.” 

“They’re not very nice mother,” Will told her as he fetched one, she hadn’t stopped looking at me, smiling a supercilious and appraising smile, I wanted to look away but I couldn’t. “Thank you William.”

“They’re meant to be heated up in a microwave,” he said apologetically as he handed over the bottle.

“A microwave? There is a lot for me to catch up on. I’m excited to re enter the world, my world,” her voice taking on a menacing tone, “but humans know of us! I cannot wait a moment more.” She drank from the bottle and frowned, “it’ll do in a pinch I suppose.” She dropped the bottle letting it smash on the floor. “But tonight,” she rubbed her hands together, “tonight I need to celebrate my freedom.”

“Want to go to local club, find some humans? A cocktail buffet?” Will asked.

“No… In Michigan? Definitely not… New York maybe, or Chicago.”

“I should head back to Silas soon before people notice my absence,” I said quietly staring at the floor.

“Now there’s an idea!” Lilita exclaimed. “We can meet up with my prodigal daughter and see if my newest daughter can convince her the error of her ways.”

“Do you really want to deal with kitty tonight?” Will said. “There is a club called LIFE in the city near Silas where the patrons throw themselves eagerly at vampires.”

“The fools! Do they think us tamed?”

“Some do.”

“Well that sounds like a good idea William, let us show them the error in their judgements.”

“Do we need to change or anything?” I asked.

“Do you think I need to?” Lilita asked, running her hands down the side of the black, form hugging cocktail dress wiggling her hips as she did.

“N-n-no,” I said drinking in her swaying hips. “I do.”

“Me too, we swam to the bottom of the lake last night.” 

“Well steal some from clothing outlet,” she said dismissively running her fingers through her hair. “How do I look?” She asked me pulling on the dead prostitute’s high heels. 

“Amazing,” I said quietly and honestly, having to shake my head to concentrate. I can see why Will is totally devoted to this woman. All my reservations and fears of freeing her or being here and of what she would now do disappeared when I was looking at her. The cocky smile returned to her face, playing over her lips.

“Good,” she said, smiling at me closing the distance between us and pushing my hair back behind my ear each side and running the back of her hand down my face. “Smile, we’re going to have a lot fun tonight.”

“Ok,” I replied quietly, unable to break my gaze from her powerful eyes. She cupped my chin and gave me a soft, brief kiss, before turning sharply. 

“William are we ready to leave?” She asked him.

“I need to cover up these,” he said kicking one of the dead bodies, “I’m going to get a knife and cut their throats to hide the fang bites and then hypnotize the man who works here into thinking he killed them. Hooker murdering motel night shift worker is very believable.”

“Good, Laura and I will find you some clothes.”

“Chicago isn’t too far mother,” he replied. “Cleveland is probably closest.” 

“We’ll go there then meet in Silas is it?”

“No the city nearby, Laura will give you the details.”

“Perfect, a black suit I presume?”

“Yes please.”

“Come Laura,” she ordered. I really wanted to be around her, near her, touched by her but equally absolutely petrified of her. She held her hand out and I took it. We strode from the motel room where she abruptly scooped me up in her arms and shot off into the sky. I thought it was terrifying when Will had flown me, this was much worse. We traveling at warp speed. Reality became the whizz of blurring, melding colors as it had done when I was human and Carmilla carried me around.

We landed after mere seconds. We were in the centre of a busy street, shops ran up and down the sides of the street, the shoppers were shocked and horrified at us as we appeared in their midst from the sky.

“Ah,” she sighed out and breathed in, “wonderful.”

“What is?” I asked as hopped from her arms and smoothed out my windblown hair.

“Being in civilization once more. Being around all these humans.”

“Oh I can imagine.” 

“Come let’s get you some clothes,” she took my hand and lead me into a clothing store, “I’m looking forward to going to this place you and William frequent.”

“We went there once…”

“Did you have fun? Meet anyone?”

“We met these three girls, went back to their apartment.”

“I thought you were dating Carmilla?”

“Yeah well,” I said, embarrassed. I was what did I do? 

“Good girl. Here,” she pulled a patchwork dress from the rack. “Wear this, leave your hair loose.”

“Ok,” I agreed submissively, folding it over my arm.

“What do you think of this for me?” She asked putting on a black leather jacket. Huh. That figures. 

“It looks great,” I said honestly. It really did.

“Go change and we can go.”

“We need to pay…”

“Ha!” She barked. “Don’t be silly,” she tousled my hair, “we are vampyr we take what we please.” 

“Right.” I went to the changing room and put on the dress. I took out my phone to check my reflection. I had a lot of texts from Carmilla, Laf and Perry but I slid open the lock screen as quickly as possible so I didn’t have to read them. I can deal with that later. I opened the camera and held it out as far as my arm could manage to so I could admire the dress. It looked cute, I flicked my hair over my shoulders and smiled. Yeah this worked. My shoes were still a little out of place, but hey converse work with everything. Besides next to Lilita no one would be paying attention to me. 

I took a deep breath and pushed opened the door of the changing room to see Lilita talking to the girl behind the till, fixing her with a gaze. I rejoined her.

“Ah Laura, this kind lady was just offering our items for free. Anything else you’d like?”

“Just a bag for the clothes I was wearing…” I said. The woman blankly stared ahead, straight through and past both of us as she picked up and handed me a cardboard bag with the store logo printed on it. I stuffed my jeans and t-shirt into it. 

“Thank you for your services, goodnight,” Lilita said sweetly to the assistant. She took my hand and lead me from the store. “You look radiant dear daughter.” She said outside stopping and turning me to face her. She acted like we were the oldest of friends, had known each other for an age, I really enjoyed her familiarity. Well at least when I was looking at her, having her touch me. “Now where are we going?”

I told her the location and she scooped me up and we flew up into the air and landed before I knew what had happened.

“I wish I could fly,” I said quietly. 

“Oh no, I wish I could do what you could do,” she replied placing me down to my feet.

“What can I do?” I asked confused.

“You found me,” she whispered in a low sultry voice, leaning close to my ear. What did that mean? The thought disappeared as I shuddered internally by her proximity. 

“Where’s Will?” I asked trying to break the intimacy of the moment. 

“Why am I not good enough company?” She smirked. That damn smirk another family trait it would appear. She took a strand of my hair and twirled it.

“Oh, no, no, I was just you know… wondering…” 

“He’ll find us.”

He did, soon after. Lilita spent the time in between staring at the night sky, just looking up and smiling. It was weird. Though I suppose she hadn’t been out in the open for 70 years. 

“Here,” she handed him a bag of clothes. I hadn’t even noticed she had got that… Huh. 

“Thank you mother.”

“Go change quickly William, I have waited far too long to wait much longer.”

He nodded and disappeared in super speed and returned seconds later wearing a black suit and smoothing down the collar of a white shirt under it. Looking at the three of us you’d never guess two of us had dragged the third from deep under the water just one night hence. He threw my and his ruined clothes in a dumpster. She wrapped her arms around each of our necks and pulled in close as she walked forward. “Come children, time to embrace the night, to experience this new millennium.”

She let go of us and Will lead us to the same nightclub he and I went to before. LIFE. The happy people outside, I actually felt for them, they were planning on enjoying on their Friday night and we came to bring death. 

Once more Will just gave the bouncer a look and we just sailed through, the woman weren’t staring at him anymore, every eye was on Lilita. Every man was slack jawed and every women looked on with jealousy. No one even complained that we cut the line and didn’t pay the entrance fee.

Will lead the way to the top floor, with it’s partly exposed ceiling. He strode his way to the bar and ordered us some of the bottle blood while Lilita just looked on at the people dancing with wonder. 

“The world has changed, but it stays the same,” she said to me, “people still go out to dance, to drink just inhibitions get lowered further and further…”

“Hey Laura! Can’t believe you’re here again!” Taylor appeared to my left elbow grinning ear to ear and looking slightly bashful as she pushed her hair back over her face.

“Oh hi Taylor,” I replied, a little nervously. Lilita walked around her 360 picking a strand of hair up between her fingers before joining me in front of her again. 

“Erm, hi sorry we haven’t been introduced,” she said nervously.

“Lilita, I’m Laura’s mother.”

“Mother?!” Her eyes popped. “Oh, oh ,oh, like Will is your ‘brother?’”

“Yes, I’m her blood mother, but who are you?” She drawled. “Taylor is it? Do you know my dearest daughter well?”

“Fairly well,” she mumbled.

“How well is fairly well?”

“Erm…”

“Tell me did you enjoy having sex with my daughter?” She asked brazenly. I was glad I wasn’t drinking anything as I would had spat it out.

“Uh-uh-uh.”

“Don’t stammer darling I was just asking a simple question. I’ll take that as a yes then,” she pressed, staring at her inquisitively and got the ashamed nod she was looking for. Poor girl, who was older than me but still, she didn’t deserve this. “Well you should come join us.”

“I’m with my friends…”

“Good bring them as well,” Lilita commanded. She stood there unsure for a moment before scampering off. “She’s a pretty girl.”

“She is…”

“She’s the one who met here before?”

“Yes.”

“Good, that’ll make things easier. Did William have her friends?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” she rubbed her hands together. 

“Should we find a table?” I asked, trying to move on from her intense aura. 

“I don’t need to sit, but you can if you like,” she smiled at me.

“You don’t sit at them, you stand, it’s just a place to rest your drink and stand around.”

“Oh wonderful lead on.” 

She took hold of my hand and I lead her on to a circular chest high table where Will soon joined us with three glasses of artificial blood. Lilita picked it up and gave it an imperious sniff. 

“It is a little better when it’s heated I suppose,” she said mulling it over, “still I’m so blood deprived I think animal blood would taste fine at the moment.”

“Is there anything you want to talk about mother?” Will asked seriously.

“Yes a lot. However I need some fun first and here comes the catalyst…”

Taylor was walking over a little slower than her two friends. Lucy and Meghan, I recognized them.

“Hey Will,” Meghan chirped kissing him on the cheek.

“Nice to see you again,” Lucy added.

“You too. This is Lilita,” he introduced mother to them. 

“A pleasure.”

“You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you darling.”

It was appalling how manipulative Lilita was. She had a steady stream of alcohol coming without ever having to pay. She was charming and seductive and Taylor eased into the night and became all handsy with me, pawing at me, kissing my neck, telling me how she couldn’t stop thinking about our night together. In only a couple hours we were all back at their apartment just like Will and I’s first time except with the addition of Lilita, who moved gracefully into the place after the needed invitation. 

The second the door was closed to the den and without warning she grabbed Meghan by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She screamed as Will pinned Lucy down snarling into her face she began quiet.

“How stupid,” Lilita said calmly as the girl in her grasp cried and failed to free herself. “You actually invite us in? Don’t you know what we are?” She sounded sympathetic, almost like a concerned councillor. “Do you think us some novelty? Something you can use for a night’s pleasure, to giggle and gossip about the next day?”

Taylor was whimpering to my side, she hadn’t tried to move, she had simply curled up in the fetal position. 

“Please… Please stop…” Meghan managed to rasp out. 

“Stop what?” 

She couldn’t respond now she was able to get enough air into her lungs to muster speech. In one swift horrifying motion Lilita tore nearly all of her throat out, I caught a glimpse of the white of her spine before the gushing blood covered it up. Lilita tore the head clean off and started drinking from the severed part before throwing it so hard against the wall the skull cracked and slid down uselessly. 

The scream couldn’t escape Lucy’s mouth, she was gulping and weeping and eyes staring at the gory mess which was left of her friend. Lilita turned licking the slick crimson stain off her hand and walked over to her and Will and pulled her head aside and bit deep into her neck.

“Help yourself William,” she said pausing from her dinner to invite him in. He took up Lucy’s wrist and bit deep into her arm.

I just watched, frozen still. I was a spectator to this grim spectacle, it was disgusting but the smell of flowing blood was bringing something out in me. The dueling voices of run away and join in was ebbing away in favor of satisfying my own blood lust. I felt my fangs detract just as Taylor picked the worst possible time to try to grab my hand. I rounded on her. Her face was a red mess of tears and snot. She just wept and shook her head pleadingly. 

I let my fangs slide back into my gums. I shouldn’t do this. I could hear Lucy’s heart stop. Lilita came behind me wrapping her arms around me and running a bloody finger over my lips. The fangs came right back down. I pulled Taylor up and bit straight into her jugular as Lilita stroked my hair and lay light kisses on my cheek and neck. Her heart slowed and her arms went limp and she dropped dead from my grasp. 

“That was a nice appetizer,” she said cooly. “William go out and fetch more girls.”

“Yes mother.”

He left in hurry, wiping any stains from his jacket.

“More?” I asked incredulously. 

“Yes dear,” she said turning me round to face her while holding me around the waist, she lay a soft, delicate kiss on my lips. “The night is still young. Besides,” she lightly touched the tip of my nose, “you’ll need all your strength for your glorious return to Silas tomorrow… As will I,” she added darkly.


	17. S E V E N T E E N

Silas, just after dusk. I slept in blood, covered in it, wrapped up in Lilita’s gore coated arms in an apartment full of dead bodies including a woman I had been physically intimate with. Now I was back home. Well home away from home. I didn’t want to get up out that dried bloody horror show, but I had to so I picked myself, showered off the mess stole one of the dead girl’s clothes and left. Standing on a rooftop several buildings across I stood with Lilita watching the place we just left burning from the fire Will set. We moved off in a trio as sirens rushed towards the inferno. Now Silas. 

I had been gone two nights. Yet it felt different and a little alien, like returning to your childhood room after moving out, it was familiar but it didn’t feel comfortable as it did once. The presence of Lilita made it a new experience, she altered everything, the more she had fed not only her looks had returned but a power had, it radiated from her confidence to her aloof control of every situation. 

“This is a quaint little town,” she commented after surveying the sliver of Silas she had seen. We were at the edge of the park which sprawled and weaved itself through the town. “Not the sort of place I’d expect you to live William.”

“It’s only temporary,” he explained.

“Oh?”

“I came here to mess around with kitty…”

“Didn’t you come here to kill me?” I piped up. 

“I thought the best way to mess with kitty would be to kill you yeah,” he said shrugging, “besides now you’re dead. So I win.”

“Humph.”

“Children! William don’t be mean to your sister it’s ungentlemanly and Laura don’t pout it’s not ladylike,” Lilita scolded us. 

“Yes mother,” Will mumbled and kicked a stone off into the distance and shoving his hands deep into his pockets. I tried to make my face expressionless. 

“Now William where should we go on this fine evening?”

“There aren’t too many spots here…”

“You don’t say.”

“There’s some terrible vampire owned bar the town over, a couple clubs here and the shitty hick bar Laura here used to work for.” 

“Who owns the vampire bar?”

“Christian something or other.”

“Christian Blackflame?”

“That’s it!” Will confirmed.

“Ha! His real name is Bill Cooper, pretentious little idiot, Blackflame,” she laughed cruelly. “He was some scamp from Victorian London and now Oliver Twist fancies himself a debonair socialite. We will visit him very soon, I have some things of importance I need to speak to him about,” she said leaving the hidden threat of her words hanging in the air. 

“Ok…”

“So let’s go this lovely little bar Laura worked at.”

“I still work there…” I added pathetically, I didn’t want this to happen but I knew I had no power to stop it. The only thing I could do was stay on Lilita’s good side, not that that seemed to be a problem, she adored me. 

“Well let’s go tender your resignation,” she commanded. She strode forward, bringing a dark cloud with her to overcast the town I’d called home for over 2 years. I moved to catch up to her as Will took her other side and we walked into the town. She was a few paces ahead of Will and I holding her arms out at shoulder level as if she were trying to absorb the darkness itself.

I was dragging my feet a bit, this was going to be horrible. I was nervous I was going to have to have a threesome with Taylor and Lilita last night and what actually happened was so much worse. I couldn’t start to think of predicting what terrible thing was going to occur. 

We approached the streets of town where the shops and bars were located, Lilita just pushed her way through a group of students standing, smoking on the road, knocking them out of the way like skittles. The cries of anger were ignored as she continued onward.

“Just up here mother,” Will perked up pointing the turning to the street the Anvil was located. She turned the corner with purpose with us in tow. The neon sign was blinking happily away and I could hear the laughter and pleasant conversation from inside. Oh no. No, no, no.

She pushed open the door and entered, Will moved in and to her side and I almost walked into her back as she had stopped abruptly, looking side to side, taking in the entirety of the bar and its patrons. Danny literally ran over to Will to hug at him, he put his hand up to block her and she bounced off hitting the floor. 

“Will! Where have you been?” She asked out of breath pulling herself back to her feet.

“Aw, you have an admirer William, well of course you do, my handsome boy,” Lilita cooed.

“She’s just a pathetic bloodbag,” he dismissed her. 

“Will no?! I helped you, I did what you wanted!” She pleaded tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She shrieked as Will kicked her in gut sending her back a few feet and writhed around on the floor whimpering in pain. She coughed a up few drops of blood. The smell of it changed me. I felt any guilt and remorse lifting off me sniffing at the air taking in the sweet smell, Lilita ran the back of fingers down the side of my face and I shivered involuntarily under her caress.

“Patience dear daughter.”

“LEAVE, LEAVE NOW,” SJ cried placing herself in front of us, she was holding a crucifix around her neck up in one hand, brandishing it, holding her phone in the other. “YOU’RE NOT WELCOME HERE! GET OUT OR I’M CALLING THE FUCKING POLICE!” She was bellowing now, her voice cracking. Kirsch and Theo had come out from the kitchen and he was shooting me confused looks. 

“How cute… Like the police could do anything,” Lilita laughed, she was so happy, clearly enjoying herself. “Laura take that phone and break it.”

I just moved at her command, walking up to SJ who was now transfixed by me. I took the phone from her hand, she didn’t put up any fight her fingers coming off it easily. I dropped it and crushed it with my heel. 

“Break that silly little pendant too,” she commanded me.

I took the cross from SJ’s other hand and bent the metal until it snapped and dropped it.

“You’re a fucking monster,” she whimpered through tears. “Fuck you.” Anger started rising inside me and I grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her to her knees.

“Oh I’m monster?” I asked my voice coming out somewhat hysterical. “AM I? You made this happen you idiot, you fucking bitch,” I pulled her up by hair. The patrons of the bar were all rooted in silence at their tables and booths fixed in place by the heavy level of threat hanging of them. “I was your friend, your friend! And you just ignore me? Treat me like scum?! Without even talking to me about it? Without just asking a few simple questions?”

“Laura,” she whimpered.

“Shut up, shut the fuck up,” I hissed, “oh dependable Laura will cover my shifts because she’s sweet little Laura, oh she’ll let me copy her notes, help me move do whatever I ask because she’s a tiny push over. The second I’m not, the second I can’t be bullied into picking up the slack for your shortcomings you won’t even look at me. Well look at me now,” I demanded as she stared at the floor tears falling from her face. “LOOK AT ME,” my voice came out demonically, a vile, guttural growl.

She turned her face to me mouthing the word please, the tears mixing with the snot. It disgusted me. All the fury I had was bubbling up. The frustration coming out of me.

“Laura,” Kirsch spoke up, “no one thinks of you like that, stop this, it isn’t you.”

“Isn’t it? Maybe this is me,” I snapped as shoved SJ to the floor and walked over to him. Theo took a step back but he stood his ground. “Maybe this who you all made me! I tried to be nice, nice to everyone, helpful and what did I get? Mocked, teased, my good nature taken advantage of! I just tried to get on with things with a smile on my face and no one could appreciate that, they had to use me. Well I’m at the top of the food chain and I feel like taking advantage. Turnabout is fair play.”

“Laura, this isn’t you,” he repeated steadily. 

“Isn’t it bro? Really dude? Hey bro,” I said sarcastically. “Yo bro is it bothering you meek little Laura isn’t just doing what you want her to do?”

“You’re hurting people.”

“I’ve killed people, SJ should count herself lucky she still has a pulse,” I snarled. I broke my stare to sniff the air someone was in the back office. Hiding. I turned to look at Lilita and Will. He was pacing around the tables intimidating the customers, while she looked on at me proudly smiling. “Someone’s in the back.”

“Go get them,” she smiled.

“Yes mother,” I replied. Mother, it just slipped out and her grin broadened. I pushed past Kirsch knocking him to the floor as I went. Jenny, the new girl was cowering in the breakroom I strode over to her and grabbed her arm as she screamed and I wrenched literally dragging her along the floor as she thrashed under my grasp. “Stop squirming or I’ll break your arm,” I told her. 

When I got back everyone was still petrified, Lilita had moved from the entrance and was sitting on the bar letting her legs hang off the edge. She was so happy, enjoying what had become of the evening. 

“Laura!” Kirsch tried again, “she’s a nice girl just trying to do her job leave her be.”

“Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t, no one believed the last new waitress here was a stalker, everyone dismissed me. ME! After everything I do for all you bastards, you just waved me off, silly Laura doesn’t know what’s happening… Do you know what happened with Suzie, Wilson?” I asked, the hysteria returning to my voice.

“She went back to her parents…”

“No she went 6 feet under the ground after I caved her fucking skull in with my elbow!”

“Laura!” He cried out. As Lilita laughed behind me. 

“Wilson!” I cried out back mocking him, “do you want to know why I killed her?”

“Because you’re a fucking monster,” SJ said picking herself back up. “You probably killed Betty as well!”

“Nah that was me,” Will piped up holding his hand. “That slut threw herself at me and I fucked her, drained and threw her useless body into the street.” He told a distraught SJ casually. 

“Don’t be so rude little one my dearest daughter was getting something off her chest, it’s incredibly impolite to interrupt,” Lilita spoke finally, “carry on Laura.”

“So you want to know why I killed her? Because she kidnapped me, you know the girl who I told everyone was a crazed stalker and no one bothered listening to silly little Laura, so I had to cut my own wrists open to die and be reborn as this!” I told him letting my fangs elongate to their full length.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, but it doesn’t mean you have to hurt other people,” Kirsch explained.

“No, I suppose I don’t have to…” I said wistfully as he looked at me hopefully, “I just, really, really want to.” His face fell as I dragged Jenny up and bit deep into her neck making a nasty wound and drank. I felt Lilita come up behind me and put her head next to mine and bit into her shoulder just a bit down from the gash I made. Jenny’s arms flailed against me, but she was growing weaker and weaker and she fell dead under both of our grips. There were gasps and screeches and cries from every human in the place.

I let go of Jenny and turned to Lilita who had blood dripping from her chin, I threw my head side to side then leant into kiss Lilita passionately. I pressed my lips hard against hers and moved my body to let her wrap one arm around my lower back and the other to grasp my ass. I pulled back to lick the blood from her chin but she didn’t give me a second before kissing me again.

“LAURA WHAT THE FUCK!”

I broke the kiss to see Carmilla standing in the open door mouth agape her eyes darting from me to Lilita.

“Oh nice to see you too dear,” Lilita broke from me and started walking towards her. “It’s been over a century and not even a hello?”

“How the fuck are you here?!” Carmilla asked.

“You really helped to be honest,” she turned and took a few strands of my hair and started playing with it, “if you didn’t add Laura to our family I would have stayed trapped.”

“Laura, ignore her she’s an evil witch,” Carmilla turned her attention from our shared matriarch to me. “I know she’s seductive, I know her power but is this you? Do want to be an animal? Controlled by your whims? Just a beast?” 

“I want to do what I want for once!” I snapped. “Why do you want to be so restrained?”

“True, why do you daughter?” Lilita asked her.

“Don’t call me that, I’m not your fucking daughter.”

“But you can be once again, stop this game, playing nice so the humans can treat you like some novelty to be enjoyed and observed like a caged animal.”

“Laura,” Carmilla completely ignored her, “this is what happens when you’re turned. The blood lust controls you, she makes it worse, the things I did when she made me this, it still haunts me. Look, look at the girl you just killed, imagine she was Laf or Perry just imagine.”

I looked down at Jenny’s lifeless body, the gore torn neck, the closed eyes and pale, icy skin. Trying to think of someone I cared about in her place and I couldn’t. She was nothing to me, I really didn’t care what I’d done to her, not that she was even a thing anymore just a husk. I looked back up at Carmilla’s concerned face and just shrugged she looked down and dramatically sighed. 

“You need to overcome this, you’re still the sweet caring girl I fell in love with,” she said quietly. I heard Will scoff.

“Love?!”

“Yeah, yeah love I was going to tell you before you disappeared and I still am, still was, whatever, but it depends on you. You haven’t gone to far yet. Do you want to be him?” She pointed to Will. “A cocky dickhead who fucks and kills and has no friends, no long term contacts, just moves from one person to the next repeating the same process over and over again until there is nothing left of you?”

“I don’t know what I want in the future, I just know what I want now…” 

“Unlike her I will be tolerant, I’ll forgive mistakes and I’ll be here for you, disagree with her once and you’ll be done. She’s all fun and games when she gets her own way. But that’ll change when…”

“ENOUGH,” Lilita slammed her hand into a table smashing it to pieces, “you want to be a black sheep be a black sheep, but don’t pretend you know me, you gave up on that.”

“I know enough.”

“Well maybe I’ve matured…”

“You're old enough,” Carmilla said snarkily. 

“Let me prove my point, I’ll leave here, of my own volition, I have business with someone close by. I’ll let Laura make her own decision.” Lilita said motioning for Will and heading past a very tense Carmilla who had her shoulders rounded and her body ready for a fight. “You know where we’ll be Laura. Right?”

“Yeah,” I replied slowly, wiping the blood from my mouth. I stood planted to the floor as Lilita and Will left the bar the door closing. The situation flooded over me now I was out of her presence. There were 20 patrons trembling in fear, a dead girl at me, Danny still writhing, holding her stomach.

“Laura! What the fuck did you do?” Carmilla snapped at me stalking over to me and grabbing me by the shoulders.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled looking at the ground but she put a hand under my chin and made me keep eye contact. 

“I don’t even want to know how you found Morgan, I don’t think I can handle that right now, but why are you with her, with Will? Can’t you remember he tried to kill you?”

“Well I’m dead aren’t I?” I mumbled.

“No! Well yes, but you don’t have to be dead inside. These people are friends, well they were, do you want to lose your roommates? Can you look Perry and Laf in the eye after committing a massacre? If I didn’t break your blood party up don’t tell me you wouldn’t have killed everyone here?” 

“Probably…” I admitted sheepishly running the back of one my feet back and forth on the floor.

“Is that who you want to be?”

“Clearly,” I snapped back regaining my confidence. “Honestly? Honestly? The blood, the smell of it, how can it not drive you crazy? The speed of it as their fear heats it up and pulses it through their veins. Pushing my dead fingers into their veins and…”

“Laura,” Carmilla put her hands on my shoulder again, holding me firmly. “I understand, you don’t think I have those feelings? I get it.”

“Then join me,” I put my arms around her neck looping them together behind her neck and scooting close to her and putting my face close to hers, “fuck Lilita, fuck Will, we can elope. I love you too,” I smiled at her and leant in to kiss her softly, her mouth responded at first before she pulled away.

“I don’t want to be a monster.”

“I’m not a monster!”

“Not yet.”

“You are a fucking monster!” SJ screamed at me, “what did Jenny do to you? She came here to start her life and you snatched it away. Why? Because you’re a fucking monster.”

“I would really shut the fuck up right now,” Carmilla told her. 

“You’re no better,” she spat. “Oh you used to kill people but now you don’t?! Oh terrific,” she clapped her hands together sarcastically, back on her feet looking a little frantic and crazed, she was taking slow steps towards us. “I’m sure all those people whose lives you stole away from them are so glad that you’ve reformed an eternity later. Oh I lose my life but my murderer feels guilt!” She was up close to Carmilla now, “no prison, no death penalty you just are a bit upset.” She jabbed at her chest with every word.

“Seriously don’t touch me,” Carmilla snarled.

“Why? Will you kill me? Just like you’re telling the monster here,” she pointed directly at my face, “is soooo wrong? I don’t care anymore, vampire scum have killed my best friend, killed the new girl. Danny hasn’t been normal for a month. All the people from college. What can you do to me now?”

“I could peel your skin off and eat it,” I suggested coldly. There was glint of fear in her eye at that. 

“LAURA HOLLIS!” Carmilla snapped again, “ignore her, listen to me.”

“Why don’t we kill her together and then go back to my place…” I said balling my hands up in the lapels of her leather jacket.

“Do you think I don’t miss it? Of course I do but…”

“But nothing, let’s go, just us, blood, sex and violence!” 

She just looked down, deep in thought, after a moment her hand came up to cup my cheek I tilted my head into her touch. 

“No, I want to be with you, I just don’t want to be cruel, it’s a fleeting enjoyment a few moments of lustful pleasure followed by endless regret.”

“Together though,” I added, trying to get her change her mind.

“No,” she said shaking her head taking a step back from me.

“Fine.” I took a step back and focused my energy and moved at the fastest speed I could manage out of the door. When I was a couple miles out of town in the middle of a wood I took out my phone. I deleted the text threads from Carmilla, Perry and Laf, I didn’t want to read them. It would be too upsetting. I started a thread for Carmilla.

Laura: Sorry, I am sorry x

Laura: I just need a little time to think x

Carmilla: I’ll be here to help when you need me, but think on your sins x

I shoved my phone roughly into my pocket and sat on a felled tree and put my head in my hands to cry. I touched my eyes as an unfamiliar sensation occurred in my eyes. There was blood on my fingers. I cry blood now?! Disgusted I wiped my tears away and stood, running my hand through my hair straightening it back out. I knew where I had to go.

I walked into Christian’s bar, the Blood Bank less than half an hour later. Well tried to walk in, the door was locked. I knocked hard on the door and a moment later Will opened it a crack then smiled at me and granted me access. There was a different atmosphere than the last time I was there. There was a chair set up like a throne on the main stage where Lilita was sitting like a Queen. There were 10 humans huddled in front of the bar. All of them looked terrified. Otherwise the place was quiet and empty.

“Laura! Just in time for dinner,” she called across the music free dance floor gesturing at the cowering people.

“I’m guessing kitty didn’t want to play?” Will asked.

“No, I thought she was going to at one point but no…” I told them.

“There’s still hope for her,” Lilita said determinedly. “But tonight, is about fun and we have some at hand. I’ve just taken control of this establishment.” 

“Where’s Christian?” I asked confused glancing around. 

“Who? Oh! Billy,” she held up a skull still wet with blood and covered with scraps of skin “we had a slight disagreement over me taking over his bar but a hostile take out ensued,” she placed the skull on the floor and stomped to dust in one stamp. Will laughed at that. Whatever I didn’t like him anyway. “Come here dear daughter.”

I walked over the dance floor past all the tables to her and she pulled me to sit in her lap sideways, so my legs were dangling over the side of thighs. “William do us a favor and bring over some food.”

“Of course mother.”

He dragged a young frat boy looking type over to us. Lilita grabbed him by the throat and tore his head back by the neck so his head was hanging limp over his back with the exposed bleeding hole facing us. She lifted him up and drenched us with the blood. I drank from the faucet of crimson pouring over us, swallowing as much of it as I could. She was doing the same next to me. Both of faces were coated with blood. I felt amazing, truly alive. I noticed Will moving back with another person he held it above us and tore the throat out and drenched us once more. 

In the bloodbath Lilita moved her face closer and closer to mine, eventually she got face to face and kissed me as the blood still poured down us. Our tongues played with each other mixing the blood and massaging it into each other’s mouths. When it stopped she put her head back and made a roaring noise like a lion and stood up holding me in her arms. Any doubts I had before had left. I just felt burning passion and urgency to satisfy the primal rush of emotions coursing through me. 

“William deal with the rest how you please. Leave a little breakfast though.”

“Sure thing.”

She was still cradling me in her arms as she kicked the back door of the bar open to reveal a staircase. She carried me up to what had to be the deceased owner’s chambers. There was a gaudy four poster bed in a small room with windows blacked out with paint. She threw me across the room so I landed back on the mattress. She walked seductively towards me swaying her flared, perfect hips. She reached behind her neck and unzipped her dress letting it fall to the ground stepping out of the pool of clothes of the floor. I took a hard shuddering breath. She was the definition of perfect. Smooth, toned skin and muscles moving with each step. 

She unclasped her bra and her breasts didn’t move at all, they stayed in place, she looked like a mixture between a pornstar and a professional athlete. She pulled off her panties step by step and still coated in blood she crawled over the bed to me. I was frozen in place just in awe of her. She swept her crimson hair over one shoulder and leaning down over me capturing my lips in a soft, tender kiss. With her fingernail she slit the front of my top open, cutting the wire of my bra and my flesh underneath all the way down to my waist line. I realized I was just lying there awkwardly and moved to react to her. I cupped her breast, tentatively at first but she growled. A deep guttural noise and broke the kiss to lick the drying blood from my face. 

In one swift motion she flipped us. I was on top of her and she was under me. She gave one soft kiss before putting her hand on the top of my head and pushed me down. Down her chest, her stomach, I knew what she wanted. I ran my tongue through her and she wrapped a leg behind my head pressing me tightly to her sex. With her hand she reached down and cut herself with her nail. Her own blood running down into her wet folds, I was licking and sucking her and her blood. I started moving my tongue in vampiric speed and she shuddered and roared again. I could taste the power of her blood from a few drops. It ripped itself through my veins, driving me into a blind frenzy.

She didn’t do anything for me, I spent most of the night with my head between her legs, her blood flowing from cut after cut she made when sunup finally rolled around I was still buzzing. I wanted to continue. To keep touching her to have her touch me. The potency of her blood was enchanting. I was becoming increasingly obsessed with just thinking of her, being with her was beyond belief. Near sunup I pulled the sheets over us and she pulled me into a spooning position.

“Take off your pants,” she ordered. I took them off so our completely naked bodies were pressed together as we drifted off together.


	18. E I G H T E E N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little self-defense here. 
> 
> I like the idea of the protagonist being the one who creates their own problems. Who becomes an unreliable narrator and makes the wrong choices and does stuff a reader wouldn't want them to. It interests me more than say a character trying to do the right thing but has outside forces preventing them or meddling in their affairs stopping the happy ending, but preventing themselves from achieving happiness. So when they eventually overcome the problems it's a self victory. 
> 
> I enjoy the fluff as much everyone, I really do. I just wanted to try something new. 
> 
> If your attitude is this isn't for me; fair enough. Sorry you didn't like it.  
> To the person who felt because they didn't like it, it should stop and no one should read it; get a job at Salon.com.
> 
> Thanks.

The hall of mirrors was back, I turned 360 and my reflection contorted into weird shapes before disappearing completely. I heard the pitter patter of feet, the children, I forgot about them I walked towards the sound. Every time I got close to the sound it moved off until I was just retracing my steps. The tops of the mirrors began to tilt, leaning in around me surrounding me, I had to crouch and duck under the impending prison of glass. When they finally touched the top of my head black smoke poured from them and they whipped back into their original position. 

Figures wisped from the smoke and formed up, it wasn’t my reflection. It was Carmilla. Lafontaine. Perry. My father. Danny. Kirsch. All had bowed heads with their hands clasped in front of them like they were in prayer. Blood was running, slowly from their eyes like tears. I tapped on the glass at Carm. No response. The forms of my friends and family were slowly rocking side to side as the bloody tears dropped to the floor at their feet. 

I balled my hands into fists and slammed them into the glass. Look at me dammit. Look at me! I kept smashing my fists in unison at the mirror until finally mirror Carmilla looked up, turned her back to me and the glass shattered. I pulled the shards from my hands and walked over the fragments back out of the hall of mirrors back to the deserted carnival. That horrible circus music was playing over the tannoy, it was crackling and the tempo was far to slow.

Hey the giant teddy bear I picked up last time I was here! “Hello Mr. Teddy,” I said bending down to pick it up. I turned to see one of the children I had been chasing before. He was an adorable little kid smiling happily with something clasped in his hands. “What do you have there?” I asked him, kneeling so I was face to face. He opened his hands and it was a shard of glass, he grasped it hard and stabbed me in the face with it. Taking out my left eye. I swiped blindly at him but felt a cut in my back I swung around, I was surrounded by the gaggle of children all holding shattered glass fragments. They descended on. Slashing and hacking and cutting. 

I woke up with a jolt sitting up. Lilita was still asleep. I rolled out of bed and pulled my jeans back on. I looked for a top which was intact and found a Blood Bank themed t-shirt. It was a man’s XL and came down my thighs but it’d do I guess. I fished into my pocket and retrieved my phone. It was 4 o’clock? Why was I up? I slept all the way through much worse nightmares than that. I was hungry. Very hungry. Despite the bloodbath last night I was drained. I went to the small sink in the corner and tried to get the dried blood from my face and neck. 

I left the bedroom and headed down the stairs I was carried up the night before. I entered the bar floor. The mutilated corpses of two people were hewn by the feet of the chair Lilita appropriated as a makeshift throne. I couldn’t barely tell their gender from the mess we had made of them. There was another dead naked girl by the stripped pole on a raised platform. Her hands were tied above her head around the pole and her neck and inner thigh had sore, inflamed bite marks. It had looked like Will had raped her and killed her. Jesus. Why did that make me feel so uncomfortable. Was rape really worse than murder? But we killed for food we didn’t need to do… Do that. The girl’s hands were bruised horribly around the wrists and she had a nasty set of cuts and marks on her cheeks. She had clearly fought him and been struck and tried desperately to get free.

I sat on the floor overcome. This was too much. 

“Please, Miss,” a quiet little voice spoke up. I span up and to my feet to confront the sound. There were 5 people still alive, tied into a seating booth. A young looking girl with red teary eyes was talking to me. Breakfast I think they were referred to. It didn’t feel like that much fun in the broad light of day. “Please let us go. We won’t tell anyone.”

I didn’t reply at first, I leapt over the bar in a bound and took an artificial blood bottle from the fridge and put in the microwave. I couldn’t face attacking one of the humans now. Now they were chained up like cattle. 

“I don’t know…” I said slowly.

“I don’t know your names, I don’t want to die, I have a husband and a young child,” she pleaded across the dance floor. Something twinged in my heart. Was that remorse? I had already forgotten what it felt like. 

“Why were you at a vampire bar if you have a family?” I asked. I was confused.

“I was dragged here by Kim.”

“Which one of them is Kim?” I asked motioning to the rest of the chained people. I took my bottle from the microwave and drank. It didn’t taste that good, but I felt better. 

“She’s dead.” The woman broke down crying again, sobbing bodily her shoulders heaving. 

“Is that her?” I pointed to the corpse at the stripper pole. She just nodded. “Did my brother rape her?”

“Yes,” she squeaked before tears overcame her ability to speak. I placed the bottle down on the bar and leant my arms over it to rest my head on it. 

“FUCK!” I cried out. All the people jumped a little. “The fuck do I do?! If I let you go how will I answer to my mother and brother?”

“Please…”

“Look I’m a little conflicted here, so you’re going to need to convince me, just crying and saying please isn’t going to help.” 

“You didn’t kill anyone last night, it was the other two,” a man piped up breaking his silence. “You left before the man, your brother did the worse stuff. You don’t need to hurt us. They might but you don’t.”

I leapt the bar again and taking my bottle with me walked over to their booth and sat on top of the table next to it cross legged. 

“But then what will happen to me?”

“Do you need to be around them?”

“NO! And yes, I don’t know. I have a girlfriend, friends from my human life, but you don’t get it, the call of the blood, it’s overpowering.”

“You’re being reasonable now…”

“Well mother and my brother are asleep… I don’t know why I’m awake.”

“Guilt?”

“I don’t know if I feel guilt anymore…” Why was I opening my soul to these strangers. 

“Why are you bothering?” Another woman interjected. “She’s just toying with us, giving false hope so it’s even more fun when she kills us.”

“Shut up!”

“Yeah shut the fuck up!”

“If they’re even a sliver of a chance of getting out of here I’m taking it.”

“All of you shut up!” I spat slamming my palm into the table. They jumped and cower a little. 

“Please,” the first woman who spoke up said.

“I told you don’t just say please. Being pathetic will not help you.”

“You make us pathetic!” The confrontational woman declared. “We’re just insects to you, is it fun? Pulling the wings of bugs?”

“I suppose. Bugs can’t talk though…” I said slowly. What a terrible reason. That just made it worse. I could let them go I suppose. Leave this place. Find Carmilla. Pretend the last couple days hadn’t happened. But then what about the repercussions? Lilita would find me. And I did have fun with her. Primal fun. Though if it made me feel like this after a couple days how would it feel after a week, a month, a century… Ah! Fuck. I shook my head hard to shake the bad thoughts out. 

“Just please…”

“Stop saying please she said that wouldn’t help!”

“Think about our families then, my son, our partners and friends they’d all miss us. How would your father or mother feel if you were dead? If someone killed you? Why do that to someone else?”

“I’m a lot harder to kill than you…” I replied. “I do take your point though.” I thought back to what Carmilla said about replacing Jenny’s dead body with Laf’s or Perry’s. There’s that alien twang inside again. I didn’t like it. If I killed them it would probably quieten it down. Though how would I feel after the buzz wore off. “FUCK!” I shouted out and threw the bottle against the wall and punched the table I was sitting on and splintered it to pieces. 

“Come on do the right thing! You clearly want to!”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” I snapped. “If I let you go I’d have to run too. Though I wouldn’t make it far. Will could catch me pretty easily and mother would have no problem finding me… If I hid in my apartment they couldn’t get in without an invitation…” I was thinking out loud. “They’d just burn it down though and catch me as I left… Or they might just forget about me… Godammit I don’t know.”

They all sat in silence letting me rant. I looked over at the dead girl, Kim, she had a name, dragged her friend out for a fun night and she ended her life being violated, screaming and pleading with a terrified audience… Jesus. “Fuck it, you know fuck it fine.”

“You’ll let us go?”

“Yeah I will. Not right now, a few seconds before sundown so I can leave the moment you’re free,” I decided. 

“Thank you see you can be a good person,” the first woman who talked to me said. “No matter how long it takes you can turn you life around for the better!”

“First of all I’m only 21 and second of all don’t talk me out of this by being patronizing.”

“You’re 21! You… Nevermind…”

“Go on,” I prompted. “I want to hear it.” I pulled another table over and kicked away the remnants of the one I broke and sat on it.

“I just didn’t think someone so young could do such awful things,” she said not looking at me. “I thought evil developed over years.”

“Shut the fuck up, don’t make her change her mind.” 

“No I want to hear this…” I waved off the concerns. “Go on.”

“I just thought vampires became crueller as they got older…”

“It depends I suppose, I don’t really know… I don’t think I’m cruel… But I guess I am. Huh…”

“Doing cruel things doesn’t make you cruel, necessarily.”

“What do you do?” I interrupted.

“I’m a student councillor.”

“And you’re trying to counsel me into not killing you? Tricking me? That’s the plan? Emotionally manipulate your way to freedom.”

“No! No! No! I’m just trying to help!”

“Well please proceed,” I hissed. I felt waves of anger rising. 

“It’s just, nevermind.”

“Go on!” I snapped.

“It’s just you see people fall in bad habits around your age, and advice can make you angry, feel like your own conclusions are being under minded, but it’s never too late to get out of those bad habits…”

“My love of murder and drinking dying people’s blood is a bad habit? Like smoking?” I asked sarcastically.

“In some ways. Obviously the effect and consequences are worse but it’s still something that can be changed.”

“Hmmm, I suppose it’s something to think about.”

Think on your sins.

That’s what Carmilla told me to do. Was this it? Asking myself questions about what I’d done. Or was I just weak from being awake during sunup. Was it like being hungover and feeling remorseful and vowing not to drink alcohol ever again and forgetting the feeling when it wore it?! I don’t know. I think I needed to be alone. I would let them go. Why not. I dragged Lilita out of the bottom of one of the Great Lakes, she would forgive one transgression if I did go back on this decision…

I checked my phone. 4.30 pm. About an hour until sundown.

“I’ll let you go,” I said. “I’ve decided to stick with that. I guess I’ll have to let you go before sundown…” I repeated myself, reaffirming my choice nodding slowly to myself. If this was a moment of clarity I needed to be away from Lilita and Will but especially Lilita. 

“Why not leave earlier yourself? Before they wake up?” A man asked me.

“I’ll burn alive…”

“Oh.”

“What if you cover your head with a sheet or something?” 

“I could try I guess,” I thought out loud again. I went to bar and ripped the leather plush from the side tearing a large piece and wrapping it over my head so it covered as much as me as it could. I went to the door and slid the bolt and pulled it open and took a step into the sun.

My eyes were blinded. White flashes took over my vision until they righted themselves. I could see the street outside, there were a few people walking around but everything had a pure white film over it. My skin hurt. I looked at my arms, wisps of smoke were rising off but I wasn’t burning up. Ok this might work. I walked back in leant my leather sun guard against the wall by the door. 

I hopped the bar and drank a cold bottle of blood and another. Then hopped back over and walked over to the chained captives. I knelt at the floor where the chain was wrapped over the metal pole which held up the table and pulled hard until the strain snapped the links. They were all free. They pull themselves up. They were all still linked by the chain to each other and shuffled awkwardly from the booth. 

“Line up and stand with your hands out,” I told them and they responded. I took each of them by the wrist and pulled the chain until the metal came apart. When they were all free I went to the door and opened it. “Scam then.” All of them rushed out past me. The lack of thank yous did annoy me. 

The woman who had first spoken up and had tried to offer me advice paused. 

“Thanks for this.”

“Oh a thank you!”

“I think they just wanted to be out, but do you want a lift? My car is in the parking lot, it has tinted windows…”

“Why? Why on earth would you help me?” 

“You helped me, I believe in karma.”

“Fine.” I covered myself with the sheet and followed her out. My skin was smoking and I was blinded a little again but I rushed out with her and followed her lead down to the car park and got in her car. I removed my sheet when the door was closed. My skin was still lightly smoking through the tinted windows but nowhere near as bad. I pressed the strip of leather against the passenger window. It helped. 

“You ok?”

“Yeah,” I replied slowly. I needed to leave before Lilita and Will woke but this seemed like a terrible idea. I didn’t really have any other options. Ah. My mind was mess. A total mess. Just a jumble of conflicting thoughts. I was heavily suppressing the desire to attack this woman and drink her dry. She is helping you Laura, helping you. Why would you let her go if you’re just going to turn round and bite her. The bear and the scorpion… No.

“Ok, where do you need to go? Within reason,” she asked. She was drinking a bottle of water hungrily. I guess she had been starved and dehydrated all night and most of the day. 

“I don’t know. I don’t have anywhere to go…”

“Aw.”

“Don’t pity me!”

“I’m trying to help you!”

“Why? Just because I let you go? It was my fault you were tied up.”

“You didn’t tie me up you arrived much later, besides even if you were to blame I would be dead so… I don’t know to be honest, I just want to help people and my friend died in there and I avoided that fate thanks to you… Fuck, I’m not thinking straight,” she rambled. “I don’t know, I don’t know maybe this is a huge mistake. I just hope not. Please don’t make me regret this.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. My mind isn’t working well either. It’s just a scattershot of thoughts,” I admitted. The engine revved and I pulled the seat as far back as possible and used as much of my makeshift sun shield to reduce the sizzle of my flesh. 

“So anywhere to go yet?”

“Haven’t come up with one. Just away from here. Away from them…”

“Your mother and brother?”

“Yeah…”

We sat in silence as she drove off, I didn’t know where we were going, I just had to avoid the sun. I should have brought an armful of bottle of artificial blood. Sundown wasn’t long off. My skins was very gradually burning off while healing itself. I remembered what Carmilla told me about how you burn quicker the older you get. I just held my head in one hand, trying to collect my shattered thoughts. I should have stayed. Stayed with Lilita, my guilt would have gone… Do I want it to go? No I should have left. Oh my god. Maybe I should have. She cared, well cares for me. Or does she? No she treats me like a beloved pet… This is right. 

Dusk started setting in soon, my skin was red and blistered. It seemed to heal slightly slower than it burnt, I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for that much longer. I could see the hint of muscle in my forearms where the skin had been torn away. 

“You holding up?” She asked me.

“Hmmm,” I made some noise.

“I suppose if I wanted to implement some revenge plot this would be the time,” she said lightly.

“I suppose it would.”

“Not in the mood for humor?”

“I wouldn’t have thought you would be either,” I mumbled. 

“I was convinced I was going to die, made my peace with god and that I would never see my family again and now I’m free!” She tapped her hands happily against the steering wheel. Her good mood was annoying me. 

The muscles in my arm were covered again, the skin was knitting itself together, the lower the sun fell in the sky the lesser the pain and more of my flesh I got back. The sun was almost down.

“Look when it’s dark I’ll get out wherever,” I told her.

“Sure thing.” 

We travelled in silence. I didn’t recognize where we were from the small glances I took from the window. Just some country road. 

“Right, it’s dark enough, I’m getting out. Thanks for this.”

“No problem I guess, good luck with your family.”

“Sorry about your friend and…” I held my palms out sympathetically as I undid my seatbelt. “You know everything.” 

“That’s… well…” She struggled. “I’m alive I guess.”

“Sure. Well bye,” I opened the door.

“What’s your name by the way?”

“Laura.”

“I’m Suzannah, or Suzy for short.” 

Susie… Suzie… Suzy… Suzie… My head trembled and my vision went red. Suzie was the cause of all of this. I turned back into the car and ripped her from seat as she screamed out, breaking the seatbelt and biting down hard into her neck. She cried out and wailed as she tried and failed to push me off. The warm blood calmed me down, restored all the lost energy. Clarity restored itself and I let her go, falling back bodily from the vehicle to the tarmac. I picked myself and looked back into the car. She was gasping for air, sucking in gulps holding her hand to her neck trying to staunch the bleeding.

“No, no, no shit, no,” I said climbing back in. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that,” I apologized frantically. “Are you ok? No stupid question of course not. Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I bit my wrist with my fanged canine and pushed it to her mouth. “Drink, please drink, quick before it heals. Please… Please…” She had spent the entire of my ramblings staring at me with tearful and fearful eyes but leant in and sucked a little of my blood. After a moment her eyes rolled back in her head and she pulled back. The wound at her neck healed. “Sorry be ok!” I told her resting body and fled in superspeed into the woods. 

The trees were a blur and they stopped and came into focus all of a sudden as my foot caught an upturned root and I hurtled into a large oak. Ow. My skull was pounding, I tried to reach up to it but my arm was all messed up. Broken and useless. I used my other arm but the ulna or radius whichever was sticking out of the skin. I leant back against the tree I had tumbled into and sighed. I’ve really fucked myself up. 

I could feel my body already healing itself. What the fuck had I done. I attacked a woman who had helped me when she should have hated me. I told Kirsch I wanted to hurt people. But did I? I felt bad now. I didn’t last night when I was literally bathing in blood. I didn’t last night when I was cheating on Carmilla. Again. It didn’t seem wrong at the time. If I went back and carried on this rampage it would probably get easier. The guilt would lessen. 

I’d lose Carmilla… And I did love her, her sarcastic biting humor, her unique and specialized caring only for me… Jesus fuck. I’d fucked up. The bloody tears started to roll down my cheeks. There was a crack in the sky. Rain started to pour. Of course it did. I just sat back against the tree, broken inside and out, weeping, bleeding and getting soaked. 

Could I even go back to Carmilla. Back to Laf and Perry. To what? I couldn’t go to college. What would I do for work, for money. I couldn’t just live off Carmilla’s wealth. I could become a nomad… Move to Europe. Live in an abandoned castle and steal bottled blood… What? No that’s terrible. Just stupid. 

There are definitely vampire bars who would hire a waitress. Ah. God I have no plans. I’ve just fucked everything up haven’t I? Laf and Perry would have heard from Kirsch or SJ what I’d done… Shit the police I hadn’t even considered that. I’m a fugitive. A murderer… A serial murderer… I put my head back to let the heavy rain flow clean the bloody mess that were my tears. I picked myself off the floor. The bone had gone back into my arm, my other arm was working again and the throbbing agony in my head had receded.

I stumbled off, just walking at normal speed. I was drenched but I didn’t feel cold. I felt fine. The rain had no effect on me. I kept walking. Just put one foot in front of the other. My head buzzing, I couldn’t focus on anything. Just a scrambled mess of guilt, self-doubt and a voice telling me kill. Kill and feed. No. Just a little… I didn’t kill Suzannah. I just feed a bit then let her go, Carmilla fed on me when I was human. When I was human… I hadn’t reflected much on that fact. 

The woods were coming to an end. It was just more countryside stretching out even further upwards. There was a blinding flash of lightning and a rolling rumble of thunder. I just kept putting one foot forward then another. The giant man’s t-shirt I was wearing was sopping wet and becoming a burden. I needed new clothes. My thoughts were interrupted by a figure illuminated on the slope of the hill I was walking up by the lightning. I couldn’t make out the features of the person in the dark, my heightened night vision had been shot by the flashes of blinding lightning. 

Was this person insane? Being out here in weather like this? Unless… Oh no. I glanced over my shoulder, considering running back into the woods. It wouldn’t do any good. I walked forward, I couldn’t focus my thoughts enough to consider any plans. Any escape.

I walked with doom up the hill towards the man. 

“What you doing out here?” He called.

“Having a walk… Is there a problem Will?”

“Yes, I woke up to no breakfast, it makes me a little grumpy you know, skipping the most important meal of the day.”

“What do you want?”

“What do I want? That’s pretty fucking rich. You leave in the day? Free our food. Then ask me what I want?”

“I just need to be alone.”

“That’s tough shit. Mother is in love with you, you know for finding her and everything, and will forgive a lot. Here’s some advice, don’t do things which require forgiveness, because there is a limit. Now come on, stop having your little identity crisis and come with me.”

“No…”

“Oh, no, you seem to have misunderstood. THAT WASN’T A POLITE FUCKING REQUEST! We may have had a little fun together but what you did was inexcusable in my eyes, so you are getting your ass back to that fucking bar to explain yourself or I’ll break all your limbs hogtie them behind your back and carry you back like a fucking carrier bag!” He exploded. 

“I don’t want to fight you…” I said timidly.

He barked a cruel, singular laugh, “it wouldn’t be much of a fight sis,” taking a few menacing steps toward me rounding his shoulders for a fight. “I’m a lot older than you.” He started a quick pace aggressively coming at me and in a flash before I could get my hands up to try to fight a black streak flew through the air and knocked him down. A hulking black panther was on top of him growling. It jumped back and changed in mid air.

“And I’m a lot older than you little bro,” Carmilla snarled. What the fuck. He picked himself up out of the mud, scraping the grime from his suit pants. 

“I’m telling mother, she has big plans for you kitty watch your back,” he spat, “and you choose very poorly little sister.” He flew off up and off into the pluvial sky. 

“Thanks,” I said sheepishly. “So you’re a big black cat… kitty I get it now.” Her face wasn’t happy, even in the rain her disapproval and anger were apparent. “Hey…” I tried quietly. 

“As your maker I command you to sleep.”

Command me to? Oh man I feel woozy.

I was lying on the floor pinned by shards of glass in place. I couldn’t move. I was imprisoned by the wounds. I was still in the carnival, it wasn’t deserted anymore. It was full of life, families moving around enjoying the attractions laughing and joking. I was invisible to them. I strained and attempted to get up but I couldn’t. I tried to scream but no words would escape my lips. A foot of passerby came crashing down right on my face.

My eyes blinked open. I was sitting down. This was Carmilla’s apartment. Hey that was good. I tried to get up but I couldn’t and argh. My wrist burnt. I looked down, I was restrained by silver clasps. They weren't on my skin but close enough that I wouldn’t get out without touching it. What was happening here?!

“Carm!” I shouted. “Carm! Where are you?”

“Here,” came a low response. She walked slowly into my line of sight.

“Why am I like this? Why?”

“I’m going to help you.”

“By kidnapping me?! What the fuck?!”

“No a detox, you need to get your blood lust out of you.”

“I left Lilita, I left, I freed the people, I ouch motherfucker,” I swore as I touched the silver restraints. Her face contorted in pain.

“You think this makes me happy?! You need this.”

“Fuck you, fuck you, let me go,” I pulled against the restraints again smoke crackling off my skin as I touched the silver. "Please Carm, please, I'm sorry for saying fuck you, sorry, please I promise, I promise I'll behave please."

“You’ll thank me when this is over, but you’re going to hate me in the meantime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this seems all over the place. I meant it to be... Yeah that'll do.


	19. N I N E T E E N

Carmilla had left me. Told me she was going to get a supply of synthetic blood to last a while and that she’d soundproofed the apartment just in case I tried to scream for help. Not that I didn’t try. Screaming until my lungs hurt, even my vampire lungs, I kept scolding my wrists against the silver clasps. Why did I run away, I just had a pang of guilt. I could be rolling around in sweet, fresh flowing blood now fucking and biting and being bitten by the gorgeous Lilita. Why did I fucking leave. What a fucking fucked up fucking stupid idea. 

Now Carmilla thinks she knows what’s best for me. I felt sick with anger. How dare she. What would I do now? I was a serial killer who would what? Reenter society. As a reformed good little vampire with clipped fangs. Lilita was right Carmilla wanted me to be a novelty. A novelty. She seduced me with her dark mysterious ways and controlled me with her vampiric seduction and now I wasn’t doing what she wanted she was going to physically make me. Ah. I burnt my wrist yet again.

I thrashed about in the restraints, pushing against the silver over and over again. Tell me she loves me and does this?! What the fuck. I pressed hard against the restraints until I heard my bone clicking against the precious metal. I sat back and took a breath. Letting my skin heal over the exposed bone. The place smelt of burnt flesh. Lovely. I’m truly trapped. 

Guilt passes, it passes, that weird dream I had just rattled me and I acted out and now I was trapped. I was trapped. I repeated it over and over in my head. I couldn’t imagine how Carmilla could think this was what was best for me. That’s the reason I never gave into Danny’s advances. She mothered me. Wanted me to do what was best for her. I liked Carmilla’s independent streak and free spirit. Now I was powerless and pathetic just like Danny was to Will. I wish he fucking killed her. Kicked her ribcage to pieces the other night. 

Why couldn’t Carmilla just give in, give in to the night, I only felt guilt because of Carmilla. If she just rejoined the family we could have happy embracing the night and all of its goriest and darkest recesses together. 

I wonder if the bone would and my hand would grow back if I burnt them completely off… I could free one hand break myself free the other side and jump out of the window like I did when fucking Suzie held me captive and heal. Attack someone for their blood and return to Lilita and threw myself to my knees in front of her and plead for forgiveness. If it wouldn’t grow back I’m not sure I could deal with being without a hand. 

The door pulled open and Carmilla came back in. She threw me a very sympathetic look before walking over to her microwave and placing down the carrier bag she was carrying and taking out a bottle of artificial blood and popping it in the microwave. She came over to me, I bowed my head so I didn’t have to look at her. I truly hated her at the moment. She pulled a long length of string out and tied it around me several times loosely and left it hanging. 

The microwave dinged and she took the bottle and brought over to me and placed it into the stringed loop and then tightened it so it was resting against my chest. She returned to the bag and took out a straw returned to me and popped it into the bottle and aimed it towards my mouth.

I finally made eye contact, snarling at her. She just looked sad.

“Drink,” she encouraged trying to get the straw to my mouth. “Straws are fun remember?” She tried.

“Fuck yourself,” I spat. She grimaced at that. I didn’t care at all. 

“This is going to be difficult.”

“Not if you just let me go! Let me go. Carm please, if you ever cared for me please! Please just let me go!” My voice cracked. 

“I won’t because I do care… Other’s care for you too…”

“What can happen now, the police will arrest me or I’ll live on the run so what’s the point in trying to fix me? Or does it just make you feel superior?”

“The police don’t want you… I made everyone at the bar forget the families little visit….”

“You mean my family, our family! It could be our family if you just fucking let me fucking go!” I cried out thrashing around again smoke rising from the burning wounds. 

“It isn’t my family, she killed my family, and she isn’t yours… Yours is en route,” she said quietly. I stopped moving and straining.

“What?”

“I called your dad, told him you needed him, he’ll be here tomorrow night. As will Laf and Perry.”

“No! FUCK, why the fuck would you do that? I will never forgive you for this!” I screamed. I screamed and strained myself out as she looked on with deep, sad eyes. “Just make me sleep again.”

“You want that?”

“Yeah, I can’t tolerate being around you a second more. Make me sleep. Like the puppet I am to you.” 

She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping with defeat and resignation.

“As your maker I command you to sleep.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. I blinked once and then shut my eyes. 

I was in a museum of all places. An empty, abandoned museum at the entrance facing a desk and information booth with a wide, marble staircase leading up to a mezzanine. There were corridors off fourways on the ground floor. Which way should I go? I took the closest exit from the atrium off to the right. 

This was strange. The exhibits were of Carmilla. Her in a palace, dressed in classical, aristocratic wear, her hair pinned up in a complex style. She was in a bedroom which looked like a Queen’s. A four poster bed and tapestries and golden ornaments all illuminated by chandeliers of candles. I nearly screamed when the figure of Carm moved. I was invisible to her. She walked to her bed and started undressing. I had seen her naked before but this seemed wrong, too voyeuristic. 

She changed into night clothes as a maid came in and helped her get tucked into the overly complex sheets. The servant started putting out the candles until only a dim light was cast over the room. They spoke in what sounded like German and the servant left as Carmilla tucked her up in the blankets. Right… I walked onto the next exhibit. 

Once more it was still figures. A cut in half room allowing me to view it as a spectator. There were two thrones. One higher and a bit more grand for the man. A man and woman were seated in each place, both in finery and regalia. The man’s hair was white and he had a white moustache whereas the woman had the same raven hair as Carmilla. Her parents I suppose. They sprung to life and I jumped again, putting a calming hand over my heart. 

Carmilla made an appearance walking to the side of the seated pair and kissed them both on the cheek. More German. She took a place next to and behind the thrones and stood with her hands clasped in front of her waist. She was once again dressed in finery of a bygone age. They stood awaiting something. Oh shit.

Lilita Morgan was walking forward towards the dais. She looked as gorgeous as ever. She really was breathtaking. Her auburn hair was pinned up into braids and curls and all sorts of things I had never seen in the present day. She stopped and curtseyed in front of Carmilla’s family. I couldn’t help but notice the wonder with which Carmilla was staring at her. She looked starstruck. It was weird to see her normal, and nervous and… Well human. She was 18 here I guess. They all spoke in German and then froze. All froze except Lilita who turned to face me.

“Another disappointing daughter,” she said. Stepping forward out of the exhibit I turned on my heel and started to run, tripping over my feet. “You can run from me here but not in the real world. You found me I’ll find you. If you don’t come back.”

I jolted awake and instantly burnt my wrists on the silver holdings. That was unsettling. 

“Laura, honey are you ok?”

I snapped my head up. My dad was here. Shit. Perry and Laf were standing with him, awkwardly hovering in the centre of Carmilla’s weirdly empty, Spartan apartment.

I raised my head to look at each of them in turn cracking my neck side to side. I made eye contact with my dad and pushed my arms up into the silver so my wrists burnt and smoked. I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself crying out in pain until a trickle of blood fell from my mouth. I finally let myself go limp.

“What do you think? Huh daddy?” I growled. “Where’s Carmilla?”

“She’s outside. I asked for some time with you honey,” he said sympathetically. More condescending empathy.

“How nice. A little family time.”

“Do you want some… Some blood?” He asked screwing up his face uncomfortably. 

“Blood daddy? Blood? Does it bother you, you're little girl needs blood now?” I snarled.

“No! It’s just a change. I want the best for you and if this is you then I’ll accept you.”

“He says while talking to me chained up… Why not show your good faith father and let me out?”

“I don’t think so…”

“Why not?” I said angrily. I noticed he was staring at my teeth. The longer than human canines. A novelty. Lilita’s words rang in my ears.

“Carmilla told us you needed to detox…”

“Did she say why?”

“Just you were volatile, the blood lust,” he replied. It was the first time I’d ever seen my dad nervous and without confidence. 

“So you trust her? Over me?” I put on a childish little girly voice, “me your own daughter? Daddy please, I’m in agony. I’m burning from this silver please daddy.” I mock whimpered trying to sound as sad and needy as possible. His face showed heartbreak he took a few steps towards me. Laf rushed over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No, no, no Mr Hollis we shouldn’t without Carmilla here,” they broke their silence. He nodded and stopped. He was crying now, I don’t think I’d ever seen him cry before. Why was he crying I’m the one tied up.

“Oh shouldn’t we Susan!” I spat angrily. I let my fangs fully detract and snarled, making a guttural noise. They all jumped back and the silent figure of Perry ran to the door and tried and failed to open it. “It’s a magnetic lock, I could open it you can’t. Why not let me out and I’ll let you out…”

“Can you ask Carmilla to come back please Laf?” Perry asked.

“Scared already?” I asked sarcastically. “I can’t even move and you’re scared. You were always such a fucking pussy.”

“Laura! That isn’t like you!” My dad pleaded.

“Why, why in the love fuck do people keep telling me what I am like. Kirsch was telling me what was and wasn’t like me right up until the point where I tore open the new barmaid’s throat and drank her dead in front of everyone at the Anvil!” I told them.

“Laura!” My dad cried out, “tell me that isn’t true.” 

“It is true, and after that two more people, just tore their heads off and drank the torrent of blood as it flowed out!” I threw my head back and started laughing. “Hey SUSAN, Lola, remember that Lisa girl from college? You know the one who hated me and hated vampires?”

“Yeah,” Laf said, Perry looked unable to speak.

“Dead. Guess who killed her?” I asked smiling trying to make eye contact as they failed to look up from the floor. “I’ll give you a clue if you like?” I asked in a sing song voice.

“We get it Laura,” Laf again was the one who replied in a low reserved voice.

“Remember my charming stalker, little ol’ Suzie? Remember her daddy? That day in the park?”

“I remember Laura.”

“I used my elbow, the tip to crush her little wittle skull in so her brain leaked out. It was hilarious, a real thigh slapper!” I looked around laughing, they just looked appalled. “Not funny? Perhaps you had to be there.” 

“Laura please stop.”

“There was another one actually, a girl called Taylor. I cheated on Carmilla with her one night, then went back a week later to kill her and all roommates and burn her apartment down,” I laughed manically. “It was a lot of fun. A real hoot.” 

The door cracked open and Carmilla strode in. 

“Things ok Laf?” She asked.

“Oh just peachy,” I answered for her. “We’re sharing stories,” I laughed again and rolled my head back over the chair and looked up at the ceiling. 

“She’s telling us of the horrible things she’s done, I don’t know if they’re true…” My dad said, he was still weeping quietly.

“They probably are I’m afraid,” Carmilla said darkly.

“Why don’t you share Carm, when you were a little lady all those centuries ago, and Lilita came to pay tribute to your father’s court and you were salivating just looking at her. What evil did she talk you into committing?” I asked my voice was coming out hysterical.

“She told you about that?” Carmilla asked. She looked taken aback.

“No!” I laughed, “no I saw it, up in my dreams… Just like I saw where Lilita was and I went running to Will the second I found out.”

“You saw it?”

“I see a lot in my dreams, dark dreams dark deeds,” my laugh was becoming more crazed.

“I thought you left her?” Carmilla asked. “I was right not even consider letting you go. Until this madness leaves you.”

“I think leaving her side was the madness. She feeds me blood, fresh blood not that bottled piss ouch fuck,” I burnt my wrist again motioning to the bottle strapped to my chest. “Tell me this sweetie, baby, what happens if the madness doesn’t leave me, what if this is the new me? Will you see things my way? Go on a killing spree?”

“Never.” 

“How dull.”

“But I can sleep.”

“I slept fine the day before when I was coated in blood curled up naked with Lilita…” I said, I tried to catch her eye and smirk.

“Yeah I guessed that would have happened,” she said, the sadness and hurt was palpable in her voice. That made me twinge in my stomach a little before I swallowed hard trying to get rid of the guilt. 

“Oh did ya? Did she seduce you as well all those years ago?” 

“Yeah, yeah she… she did…” Carmilla trailed off and turned her back to me and took a few paces looking at the floor.

“Hey we’ve both slept with the same person! I’d high five you like a frat brother if you know, you hadn’t FUCKING LOCKED ME INTO A CHAIR,” I started thrashing around, burning my skin over and over again against the silver. “Come on baby let me go, please, I’ll make it worth your while…” I tried to sound sultry and not subtly wiggling my tongue between my top and bottom rows of teeth.

My dad was just in shock, he face was rife with disappointment. Perry had her back turned to me and I think she was crying, Laf was grim faced and chewing their lip while Carmilla was composing herself.

“Laura, you’re not ready, the blood lust is still messing with your mind,” she spoke.

“Is it?! Maybe this is me, I’m like a beautiful butterfly emerging from a chrysalis! You know except with gory murder instead of pollination,” I rambled laughing. 

“We need to wait for the human blood she’s clearly been binging on to leave her system,” Carmilla ignoring me and turning to the others present. “Her mind will return to normal when the lust clears.”

“How long will that take?” Laf asked.

“Hello? I’m here you know?” I called out.

“Not much longer I don’t think,” Carmilla said slowly.

“You don’t think?” My dad piped up.

“Yeah…” Carmilla replied uncertainly. “I don’t really know.”

“Hello?!” I was still being ignored.

“It won’t be too long, it might burn out it might get worse,” Carmilla mused.

“So it’s waiting game?”

“Pretty much…” Carmilla held her palms open and up apologetically.

“So doing anything nice with your night?” I asked sarcastically as they continued to ignore me.

“I think I have to leave I can’t deal with seeing her like this,” Perry said.

“I have no plans,” I announced, “just sitting in a chair mostly.”

“Why don’t you guys leave, there’s no point being here when she’s like this, it’ll just upset you seeing her like this. No good can come now,” Carmilla explained to them.

“Ok, just text or call me 24/7,” Laf said, “I’ll assemble the troops.” 

Perry and Laf made their way to the door and waited for Carm to open it. My dad walked slowly and carefully over to me and knelt on one knee. He reached a hand out to my face to cup my cheek, I growled at him trying to bite at his outstretched hand. He jumped back and recomposed himself. 

“I know you’re just sick at moment honey but I’ll always be here for you,” he stood patted Carmilla on the shoulder and walked to the door with her and she pulled open her heavy magnetic lock.

“Bye guys!” I called out cheerily, “see you later!” I finally bent my head to sip from the straw propped up and pinned against my chest. “Yuck!” I spat it it out in a spray.

“You’ll need to eat soon…”

“Blood, proper blood.” 

“No.”

“Waaaah. You feed on me when I was human, remember? When we were fucking?” I cooed at her.

“Laura. This is going to work.”

“Waaaah!”

“So you have visions of my life? Or Morgan’s?”

“Hahaha,” I burst out laughing again, “this is the time? You ask now? How about a trade? Bring me some fresh human blood, you don’t have to kill them and I’ll tell you all about it.”

“I don’t think so…”

“You’re mean!”

“I’m not the one declaring how much they love killing in front of their father and friends.”

“Tell me who did you kill? You must have at some point? You said you regretted what you did when you were turned.”

“People I knew.”

“Your maid who tucked you in?” I asked smiling.

“Yeah, her, she was amongst them. I’m no better than you cupcake, probably a lot worse. Think of me as a recovered smack addict. You’re addicted. You think it’s great now, you’re high on it but don’t know the damage you’re doing long term until it’s way too late.”

“Unlike heroin blood keeps me alive.”

“Binging doesn’t. Drinking way more than you need to corrupts you, besides we have the synthetic stuff now.”

I sipped on the straw. I was a little hungry.

“You’re lucky you have that stuff,” she continued, “and indoor heating, I had to starve my craze out of me in a cave.”

“You’re so right, how brilliant my life is right now!” I cried out, making a show of rattling my body in the chair. “Just put me to fucking sleep again.”

“Yeah that's probably for the best…” she conceded.

“Pull your marionette strings over me,” I snarled. 

“I didn't think it would be this difficult, she really got her hooks in you deep in such a short time,” she shook her head. “As your maker I command you to sleep.”

Bitch was my last thought before my heavy eyelids closed. 

Of course the museum again. I didn’t take the same path as before. Designating that part of the museum as Carmilla’s past. I tried to take the grand central staircase but the steps turned to liquid under my feet, a black ooze. I couldn’t gain purchase. I guess that’s a no go. I turned back to the atrium and took one of the other four corridors. 

The first exhibit was the same make up as Carmilla’s, except Will was standing in his an old fashioned army uniform, he did say he fought in World War One. He was in a small kitchen staring at the floor. No I didn’t care about Will. I left. Took another path. 

“Come to visit me in your dreams daughter but not in real life?” Lilita asked from the first cordoned off exhibit. She was dressed in a Roman toga I think, I literally ran away. No. Couldn’t deal with an interactive experience at all. 

One last corridor available. I hoped it wasn’t what I suspected it to be. Oh of course it was. Me. It was me, stock still holding a box. I sprung to life. Carrying the box into a car’s trunk.

“This is the last one,” Laura called over her shoulder.

My dad walked into the exhibit carrying a box and smiling.

“You forgot one there honey,” he smiled. “It’s nice to know my little girl still needs me even if she’s grown up and heading to college!”

Laura grabbed him by the waist and hugged tight. 

“I’m still your little girl!” Laura declared, “and I’ll call you all the time.” She promised tears rolling down her face. They froze in the hug.

I remember that. I was so broken up and scared of leaving my dad and leaving Long Island. Huh. I totally forgot how much I used to depend on my dad for company and friendship and support. He drove me all the way to Silas and stopped off at diners to get me milkshakes and cookies. Huh.

I moved on.

It was me again sitting alone eating a sandwich in the bright sunshine outside of college. Laf walked over as the exhibit exploded to life. 

“Hey I’m Laf!” They introduced themselves holding out a hand to shake. Laura took it and shook it suspiciously. 

“Laura, Laura Hollis.”

“I noticed you were sitting by yourself wanna join us?” They offered.

“Join who?”

“Oh it’s me, Laf hi again, Perry she’s the curly haired girl and Danny she’s the amazon,” they told Laura pointing off out of the exhibit’s reach. 

“Is that ok?” Laura asked timidly.

“Yeah of course come on.”

“It’s ok that’s I’m not a redhead?”

Both Laf and Laura laughed and walked a couple paces together before freezing. 

I hadn’t thought about how we had all met in the first place. I would have been friendless and lonely in a strange town for a while, I remember I thought about running home to my dad after the first couple days. Scared by the guys aggressively hitting on me. In a small dorm room with Betty who was ALWAYS out partying. Huh. Another forgotten memory. 

I blinked my eyes open. Carmilla was sitting on her bed playing anxiously with her fingernails. 

“You awake?” She asked looking up.

“Yeah.”

“Want some more blood?”

“Yeah.”

She hopped slowly up from her bed and starting prepping another bottle. I didn’t feel angry anymore. Embarrassed if anything. If I could have time back. I can’t believe I ranted about my murders to Laf, Perry and my dad. Remembering those times with them made my words sting. I still didn’t feel bad about the murders. It was exciting if anything, but they didn’t need to know that…

Carmilla held the bottle in front of me with a straw angled up towards my mouth. I leant into it and started to suck up a few mouthfuls. The drained feeling was going down a little. I just felt exhausted.

“How you feeling now?” She asked moving the bottle away.

“Just out of it. Drained, tired and… I don’t know empty.”

“Not as angry?”

“I don’t have the energy to be angry.”

“I suppose that’s a good thing.”

“I feel a little stupid.”

“Why’s that?”

“Shouting and crowing about all the stuff I did to my friends and family…” I admitted looking down.

“About what you did? Or telling them?”

“Telling them… Especially how I did it…”

“It’s the bloodlust. You binged on blood with two other vicious vampires, it all adds up to crazing you.”

”Maybe.”

“Well maybe is a start I suppose. Long road to recovery and all that,” she said.

“I suppose.”

“I didn’t think it would take this long.”

“It’s been what 2 days?”

“3, but blood burns through our bodies pretty quickly. I should have kept your friends and family back until you were more receptive. To be honest cutie I don’t know if this just a ruse to pretend to be sobering up so I can let you go and run off at your first chance…”

“I don’t think I would.”

“How do I know that isn’t part of the ruse. You see what this does? Even if you’re honest you’re considered untrustworthy.”

“Eternity of being a liar, great. Can I have some more blood? Please.”

“Sure thing,” she put the straw back up to my lips. “Not eternity, trust needs to be rebuilt.” 

 

“Can you let me go?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Just to move about, you can literally command me to sleep… You can easily overpower me, a lot faster than me… Please?” 

“Fine. Fine.” She reached under the silver clasps and twisted something and it unclicked and did the same the other side. I raised my hands up and rubbed where I had burnt my flesh over and over. I had no wounds obviously it was just instinct. I stood up and stretched and took a few steps. “Not long.”

“Ok. I sat on the floor and lay down and sat back up and started to cry. Emotions just bubbled up, I felt frazzled and tired and a wreck. I wanted to crawl up under a space and hide in the fetal position for a long time. Carmilla fetched me some wet wipes and I patted my eyes. “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“Regret?”

“Maybe.”

“Get it all out. It might get worse this might be the worse of it.”

“Can I have a cuddle?” I asked sniffing and wiping my nose. 

“I suppose. Then back to the chair.”

“Ok.”

She pulled me to my feet and I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my head into her chest. She held me loosely at first before tightening her own grip.

“Better?”

“Relatively,” I replied letting go and sitting back in the chair and willingly let her fix my arms back in the restraints.


	20. T W E N T Y

“Wake up!” A voice called through the haze. The dark veil was still shrouding me as the voice ripped through the blackness in a white streak before the cloud of abyss reformed. “Wake up!” It kept tearing holes through the fog, making holes until there was nothing but light, a closed casket lid flashed up and opened and I was in Carmilla’s apartment, sitting on my chair. She was kneeling by me undoing the clasps under the silver restraints. I was free!

“What’s going on?” I asked sleepily. 

“Come on get up,” she said rushing me to my feet. 

“What’s going on?”

“We need to move, this place isn’t safe,” she pulled me up and towards the door.

“Where we going?” 

“Your place.”

“What?!”

“I’ll explain when we get there…”

She was pushing me from behind and out of the building. We got into the lift and the second it opened on the ground floor and dragging me out by the sleeve. She sweeped me up in her arms like I was human again and exploded into a super speed run. We literally skidded to a halt at my apartment. I felt nervous going back in. I hadn’t even been away that long. She jabbed at the button and there was a buzz and a click and she bungled us through the door and locked it. 

She exhaled hard in relief. She dragged me up the stairs. Laf and Perry were sitting in the familiar kitchen they looked terrified of me being free.

“Laura, you promise not to hurt them?” Carmilla asked shaking me roughly by the shoulders. 

“What?”

“You heard me cupcake.”

“Yeah I promise. Can’t you just command me?”

“We need to trust each other at the moment!”

“Ok I promise. What is happening?” Her frantic energy was contagious and upsetting, I went to sit at my old seat at the kitchen table and Perry got up and walked back away from me.

“I saw Will scoping out my apartment.”

“He knows I live here!” I cried out.

“How?”

“I used to meet him right outside to hunt,” I admitted bashfully. 

“Oh great. Well they can’t get in without an invite.”

“What about your place?”

“Vampires can enter other vampire’s residence and publically owned establishments. We’re safe in here,” Carmilla explained.

“Can’t they just set fire to the building?” I asked. I had wondered that a few times.

“I think Morgan wants a little face to face and torture time with me and probably wants to convince you to come back into her little fold. Burning us out doesn’t fit her Machiavellian style.” 

“Where’s my dad?” I asked realizing he was absent.

“Yeah what’s the update on him?” Carmilla turned to Laf acknowledging them for the first time since our dramatic entrance.

“He’s still in the Lodge hotel,” they said looking at their phone.

“Right, well they can get in there, but I don’t know why they would… He needs to be moved here in the daytime tomorrow… Ah, fuck!” She cried out. “This is so fucked up. “Why would you let her go Laura?” She asked me.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time…” I said not looking at her.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time…” She repeated. “Jesus.” She started pacing around. “Well we’ll discuss this later.” 

“Ok.”

“I can’t be near her at the moment!” Perry cried out in a shrill voice and stormed to her room and slammed the door.

“Talk later!” I called after her.

“Laura!” Laf snapped. “Stop this!”

“What?”

“You know what.”

“No what?” I pressed smiling.

“Cupcake! I trusted you to let roam around free don’t make me tie with you silver to the wall.”

“We’re all just having fun,” I moaned.

“No we’re not,” Carmilla said slowly. “You’re lucky your friends are even accommodating to you after the way you’ve been behaving.”

“We get you’re all blood crazed L but we’re trying to help,” Laf said sadly.

“I don’t think I’m blood crazed… But fiiiiiiine thanks.”

“You need to tell me everything about Morgan.”

“Like? You probably know a lot more than me.”

“I know about her, but she released me ages and ages ago.”

“Released you?”

“She has no power as a maker over me. Now where is she based?”

“Based? Oh right, the Blood Bank bar, she took control over it.”

“I’m guessing Christian is dead?”

“His real name was Bill.”

“Fascinating.”

“Yeah he’s dead.”

“Right. So that’s the town over. So she can be here in 30 seconds. Will is moving around for surveillance already. Oh why am I bothering we’re all dead anyway.”

“She was trapped before…” I said.

“I have no idea how. I just heard she was. She’s over 2000 years old.”

“Are there older vampires?”

“Yeah obviously. But the ancients tend to leave each to their own devices. It’s more hassle than it’s worth. 2000 years plus is a very small club to belong to though.”

“Is she a Roman?”

“Yeah, Greek Roman… How do you know that?”

“I saw it.”

“In your mind again?”

“Yeah.”

“Like when you sometimes saw the flashes of people’s futures?” Laf piped up.

“Wait what?” Carmilla turned to look at them then me.

“Yeah she told us about it ages ago,” Laf nodded.

“Ok fine I’ll tell you what I know! I can’t stand people talking about me like I’m not in the room!” I decided. I explained. Explained the flashes, how it made me feel, how it was uncontrollable and unexpected. That when I was turned I saw Lilita and she spoke to me. Until I was shown the location of her watery prison. Then how recently I was seeing my past, Carmilla’s past and Lilita’s.

“Waiiiiit, hold up there,” Carmilla interrupted. “You can see HER past too?”

“Yeah... “

“Well maybe you can see how she was imprisoned.” 

“Scary!” I whined.

“What’s scary?”

“She can talk to me in the dreams. She can move from the flashbacks or memories or whatever they are and talk to me!”

“So?”

“What do you mean so?”

“She’s isn’t Freddy Krueger! She can be all cryptic and leering but not much more.” 

“So your plan is to hope Laura can dream up a magical, mystical way to defeat your now beloved, shared mommy dearest!” Laf exhaled exasperated. 

“You and Perry and Mr. Hollis should leave town. I don’t know what’s going to happen but it’s going to be bad,” Carmilla said.

“You wouldn’t come?”

“We can’t, you can move in the daylight, if she wanted to catch us at night she could. Plus we can’t run anywhere. She’d find us. Again, she’s ancient and powerful and mean. She’ll hurt you guys if you’re around and in the vicinity to her but she won’t bother hunting after you… I don’t think.”

“I’m not leaving,” Laf said determinedly. 

“I can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to…” Carmilla said.

“Ha!” I barked a laugh sarcastically. “How nice for you Laf, you get a choice.”

“I’m not killing anyone,” they shot back angrily.

“Not that you could,” I snapped rounding on them walking forward before Carmilla put a hand on my shoulder and physically pushed me backwards.

“Calm it, you promised to behave!”

“I’ve broken promises before,” I said coldly staring at Laf who wasn’t backing down and wasn’t breaking eye contact which was just riling me up. 

“Yeah you’re a real fuckin’ saint aren’t you? It doesn’t make tough or cool that you can kill people, well done for chipping your soul away. Whittling away what makes you you into nothingness.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it again realizing that struck home a little. I made a grumpy noise and turned my back to the two of them. I had a soul dammit. No have. Have, I have a soul.

“Can we just calm down?” Carmilla asked.

“I can if she can.”

“Laura?”

“Humph,” I huffed.

“Laura?” Carmilla pressed.

“Fine I’ll play nice.”

“How gracious!” Laf snorted. I gnashed my teeth with frustration.

“Oh my god, my evil sire is back from the dead to hunt me down and I’m mediating a teenage dispute!” Carmilla growled. “We need to get your dad back to Long Island tomorrow the second the sun comes up we have to have him getting to the airport.”

“Ok fine.”

“You didn’t invite Will in here did you?” Laf asked.

“No…” I said thinking back carefully.

“She can’t invite people, well vampires in anyway,” Carmilla waved me off. I can’t? Ah man. 

“Right so what’s the plan from here?” Laf started, “should I start melting down silver and garlic and making crossbow bolts?”

“They’re called quarrels and do you have a crossbow?” Carmilla asked slightly bemused.

“No… I could probably make a regular bow if I had some yew…”

“I think they’re made from ash trees…”

“What the fuck are you two talking about?” I broke up their pointless riff. “None of this is going to help is it?”

“I don’t know, this has kinda been sprung on me and I thought if she is old she would know how to use a bow! Especially if it was modified to shoot silver!” Laf explained.

“Well the ladies weren’t taught to fight and besides we didn’t really use bows it was primitive guns.”

“Arbequestors?” Laf offered.

“Yeah that’s right!”

“What is this conversation?! Can we actually think of some plans please?” I interrupted again.

“Sure, sorry I actually have no idea,” Carmilla said, taking a seat at the kitchen table, I joined her and so did Laf. “Unless there is some 2500 year or older vampire we can convince to kill her for free.”

“You don’t know any?” I tried.

“No the next oldest vampire I know well is my sister Matska and she wouldn’t fight Morgan. She doesn’t like her but she wouldn’t fight her and besides she couldn’t defeat her.” Carmilla explained. 

“So we have nothing?” 

“Pretty much.”

“I could probably still apologize to Lilita and get her to let me live…” I mused, they both gave me the dirtiest looks. “Not funny yet?”

We just in annoyed and awkward silence as I drummed my fingers in a pattern on the table. Well this wasn’t much more fun than being restrained in a chair. I couldn’t leave my own apartment. I still wasn’t convinced Lilita would kill me. I think she’d be angry but she had been never been anything but adoringly kind to me. Though the whole killing of Carmilla thing was a tie breaker. Carmilla’s phone started ringing and I nearly jumped out of my skin with shock.

“It’s you…” She said checking the screen. “Did you drop your phone at my place?”

“I guess so…” I replied checking my pockets quickly. 

“Ok, fuck here goes,” Carmilla said staring at the screen and sliding the accept call bar across. I could hear Lilita’s voice clear as day asking Will to pass her the ‘device.’ God she was old.

“Carmilla? Can you hear me?”

“Yes Morgan.”

“How delightful William you must secure one of these portable telephone devices for me.”

“We can talk later then,” Carmilla snapped hanging up. 

“Why are you riling her up?” Laf asked, “and what did she say? I don’t have ultra powered hearing.” 

“Put it in loudspeaker when she figures out how to call back,” I told Carm. She nodded and we all sat in silence, again, watching the phone as it sat lifeless on the table. “This might take a while… It doesn’t have a rotary dial pad,” I joked to utter silence. “Nothing? Not the time I suppose.” 

A few more moments passed and the phone rang again. Carmilla slid the cursor across and the line crackled to life and she quickly selected the speakerphone icon.

“Hello? Hello? Are you there?”

“You know Morgan you’re evil plan to intimidate us loses a lot of its edge when you can’t work a phone,” Carmilla drawled.

“Yes, yes very good, have your laugh now, do you find that funny Mr Hollis?” Lilita’s voice dripped through the phone. What? My non-beating heart froze. “Laura can you hear me?”

“Yes…” I whimpered.

“It’s very disappointing the childish manner in which you’ve behaved, however unlike certain other children of mine I might forgive this foolishness. Might.”

“You’ll forgive it by… Is my dad there?”

“Yes.”

“You want me to return to you?” I asked standing up hurriedly planning on leaving that second to find him. Go to her. Get my dad back. Carmilla yanked me down my the sleeve and shot me a murderous look. 

“I do. You’re a smart girl I’m sure you can work out the implied consequences of this unfortunate situation we seem to have got ourselves into.” The calmness of her voice was threatening in itself. “Understand me.”

“I understand.”

“The Anvil bar.”

The phoneline clicked and went dead. We all sat in silence. Just dead silence. I couldn’t think. What could I do? The thought of running back to her had a strong pull but she was using my dad as leverage, that wasn’t a choice it was blackmail. This wasn’t a decision being given to me. It was blackmail pure and simple. Carmilla brought my dad of his own free will to help me she’s using him to force me to change back or keep the path I was on or… Jesus fuck. I’ve fucked up. Carm was right, she was evil. This was a monstrous thing to do. 

Though I didn’t have a choice given to me by Carm when she tied to me a chair and demanded I behave how she wanted. Though again the way I’d treated the humans I’d killed and bullied and hurt was just as bad as this I just had no emotional attachment to them. Things were annoyingly difficult at the moment. I suppose I should just swallow my pride and admit Carmilla is right. She and Perry and Laf have had my best interests at heart oh jesus fuck. Wah. 

“So…” Laf spoke up. 

No one responded we all just sat there deep in thought. There wasn’t really anything we could do to Lilita. She had the ultimate power in this situation. Perry finally shuffled out of her room and placed something down on the table. Oh that would help a lot. 

“Why do you have this?” Laf asked.

“Thought this might be a last resort… If you know… Things got out of hand with…” She trailed off and motioned towards me with her head. 

“What?!” I exploded. 

“Well you know…”

“No I don’t know!” I said angrily.

“Shut up Laura!” Carmilla snapped. “Look we’re just bickering and going round in circles here, this is helpful, no one used it on you and it might help save your dad, so shut up! Stop acting like a brat.”

I folded my arms over my chest grumpily. I guess she was right. Just focus on my dad and saving him from Lilita. Any port in a storm. I could be mad at Perry later. Provided this actually worked and she didn’t just kill us all after it backfired horribly. 

We devised a rudimentary plan, it was rough and basic but all that could be mustered in a short space of time. A hurried plan is better than going in completely blind and making things up, uncoordinatedly on the spot. Laf came, Perry stayed. Despite us heavily recommending that they stayed at the apartment where it was safe. They were very insistent on getting involved headlong into the danger. So we left for the Anvil with a ropey attempt at a skeleton of a strategy.

“You think this will work?” Laf asked.

“No, I think we’re going to die,” Carmilla stated flatly. Oh well that’s terrific. “Our best shot is the fact she has no clue what changes have come around the last few decades. You heard her on the phone she couldn’t work the thing. If we could somehow fit a silver nail bomb into a laptop that would be amazing.”

“I probably could do that.”

“Not in the time we have. Plus where would we get silver nails from?”

We made our way into town, made our way to the Anvil and entered a very different looking bar. It was darker. The lights on were casting long shadows across the the floor and ceiling, most of the furniture was cleared from the floor space and had been stacked against the wall. I could smell the blood. It was rank and heavy in the air. 

“Dad?!” I called into the dark corners. I could feel the presence of more than one human, I could hear their heartbeats, fast and full of terrified energy. “Dad?!” I tried once more. Carmilla had fanned out to the bar and was looking over it shaking her head with disgust. 

“He’s not here.”

I walked over to her to see what she meant. Oh my god. It looked like a World War One trench. Just gore and blood and remains of people. The limbs were torn off and the torsos were severed. I didn’t recognize any of the faces on the heads that remained in tact. In tact not attached. That was pretty intense. Laf peaked over the edge of the bar as well and immediately gagged, heaved and puked with a loud retch. The smell of vomit was appalling, huh, I found the smell of the sick far worse than the smell of death and blood. 

“Is he one of them?” Laf finally managed to squeak out after a couple moments of sucking in air and trying to recompose themselves later. 

“I don’t think so…” I said frowning. Why would Lilita invite us here with my father’s hostage status as a threat only to kill him before we arrived…. Actually that seems like exactly the sort of thing she would do. Cruel and vindictive and still getting us as she wanted. “No I really hope not! I don’t know!” I said my voice cracking underneath the stress.

“He isn’t,” Carmilla said. 

“No, quite right, I am after a woman of my word. It is how a lady should conduct herself.” Lilita made her entrance from the back. “I told you come and you came.” She was wearing a long red, flowing evening gown and had her auburn hair pinned up on her head in complex braids. She looked like she was about to attend a gala, it was a strange and stark contrast to the seediness and the gore of the bar. She was alien and yet right at home in this horror she’d created. 

“Why are you doing this Morgan?” Carmilla spat.

“Why whatever do you mean?” She smiled feigning a look of playful ignorance. 

“Can’t you just leave? Leave us be? Go commit your evil somewhere else, kill, feed and gorge yourself and leave Laura and I the fuck alone?” Carmilla asked.

“I would but you didn’t say please so I think I’ll stay.”

“Christ you’re a cunt.”

“That is no way to speak to your mother Carmilla.” The jovial and light smile was playing on her lips. 

“You’re not my fuckin mo… You know what, fuck it. Fuck it. Where is Laura’s dad? Give him to us.”

“William bring forward our guest of honor,” Lilita called off to the back of the bar. “Have you brought us some dinner?” She asked motioning towards Laf, “now that is considerate.”

No one responded. I could hear Laf’s heart sped up and their blood pump at an accelerated rate. If I could sense that so could everyone else. Will walked from the back office dragging my father by the arm. He looked barely conscious, beaten and bruised and bloodied from a wound on his forehead. I felt Carmilla’s hand fly out to catch my stomach and prevent me from moving further forward. Will shot me a cheery wave. Asshole. As he threw my father down at Lilita’s feet. He sprawled over the floor painfully groaning with pain. He sounded weak and tired. His jumper and shirt were ripped open and he had lost both of his shoes. 

He attempted to stand up but just collapsed back on the floor. Carmilla’s grip on my stomach tightened. 

“Now you’re here,” Lilita smiled holding her arms out in welcome, “leverage is no longer needed,” what did that mean? She stamped in a flash down onto my father’s head it disintegrated and splattered. I screamed out, high pitched and emotional as I feel numbly back to the ground. Carmilla propped me back up forcing me to my feet, I just slumped back down again. “Now I’m the only family you have Laura.”

“You’ll pay for that,” Carmilla snarled. Their voices seemed be a mile away, there was a low ringing noises under everything I heard. Was this shock. Was this another of my fucked up dreams. They always felt real and horrible things always happened in them I tried to frantically reason. The worst thing, which was making my stomach eat itself inside out was the fact the smell of the leaking blood from the obliterated head that belonged to my father was enticing. I hated myself. Just loathed and despised what I was for having such a primal, visceral reaction. Would I have feed on him if I was still under Lilita’s influence only a couple nights ago… Probably.

“I truly doubt I will,” Lilita shrugged, “now such distractions are out of the way,” she said wiping the bottom of her bare foot on my dad’s back covering his clothes with his blood. “You two are clearly not behaving yourselves, do you know how much it hurts and is disappointing,” she placed a hand over her heart, “that two of my daughters are so rebellious and it breaks my poor heart.” 

“What do you want?” Laf spoke up.

“Shut up meat,” Will snarled bare fanged at them.

“What do you want?” Carmilla repeated.

“Death, destruction you know the usual and since neither of you will help me, I thought I’d bring it reigning down on this shit hole of a town, then the city then the state!”

“You’re insane!”

“AM I?!” She cried out, “I think that is just perspective really,” calming down instantly. She was addressing Carmilla now. I zoned her out, zoned the room out, I barely registered Laf’s hand falling on my shoulder and squeezing. My ears rang a screaming chime of a bell blocking out all noise and my vision was blurring white as my eyes turned brown to grey. I shut my eyes tight to close out the horror of reality but the world rocked and jarred back and forth making me dizzy and I had to open them back up. I had look anywhere but the sight of my father. Anything but that. 

“LAURA!” 

I ignored it. The tears of blood were flowing from my eyes, flowing into my vision making it a crimson mess. 

“LAURA! LAURA!”

“Don’t yell at her!”

What?! I looked up and blinked the drops of blood away. Lilita was standing on top of the corpse of my father like it was a dais her arms opened wide.

“Look at what I’ve done Laura! LOOK! YOU DID THIS,” she screamed out. “You did this,” she whispered, “I gave you a life with me and you run out in the middle of the day?! Such ungrateful behavior!”

I couldn’t speak yet, I was slowly and surely tethering myself back to reality, the chiming screech in my ears was tuning out and I could see the lines of the room again. 

“You’re a monster,” I said… That’s what SJ called me…

“You don’t know what a monster is, this town will learn that very soon.”

Carmilla grabbed me by under the arm and roughly dragged me to my feet. 

“You will stay here at this shit hole,” Lilita began, a nasty edge under her voice. “And wait, and watch and see what is to come. It will be Biblical. I will… What’s that?” She asked confused I glanced over at Carmilla who had brought the silver spray cannister Perry gave us. “What is it?” She asked smiling. “Some adorable little…” She stopped as Carmilla stabbed her fingernail into it and tossed it to her underarm to Lilita like she was playing catch with a toddler. 

“A gift Morgan, a peace offering,” Carmilla told her.

“Oh how nice,” she laughed catching it.

“Mother watch o…” Will blurted out rushing over to her as the silver spray exploded out of the pressurized can. Carmilla had already scooped Laf up in her arms and kicked my shin, I took her signal and sped in full superspeed from the bar following her back to our apartment. 

“Open the fucking door now!” She screamed at me when we arrived dropping Laf to their feet.

“That was freaky,” they coughed out holding their head. 

“Key!” Carmilla shouted ripping the key from my hand and slotting it into the lock and wrenching it open shoving us both in front of her. She turned to close it. “Close,” she said.

I turned to see what she was talking about. Lilita was by the entranceway, right on the threshold. Her face was red and bloodied but was knitting itself back together. 

“That really hurt,” she snarled, fangs fully extended. 

“Yeah it was meant to genius.”

“A close escape, but what now? You hide in there.”

“Pretty much.”

“You won’t recognize this town when you emerge.”

“Oh fuck off.”

“I will for now,” Lilita smiled, her calm, cocky attitude returning, she straightened up her hair and walked away. “See you real soon.” She called over her shoulder.

“Miss you already,” Carmilla shouted after her slamming the door closed. We trudged upstairs. I just collapsed on the floor when we got into the kitchen and curled up in a ball and started weeping again, bodily sobbing, the blood running down my face and onto the floor. 

“What happened?!” Perry asked. 

“Come on Perr, let’s go to our room,” Laf said.

I tuned out the background noise again, letting grief take me over. I needed to kill Lilita. I needed to kill her. Hurt her anyway I could. Get her back. Kill Will. Kill who she cares about. I was shaking and feeling dizzy, the image of my dad’s brutalized body wouldn’t stop flashing in my head. 

“You need to stop crying cutie.”

Carmilla pulled me to my feet again. 

“We have no blood here and we need to stay up tonight and tomorrow you can’t cry out what little you have,” she told me, face to face now she used her thumb covered with her sleeve to wipe my face, wipe my tears. 

“She has to die,” I said quietly, pushing my face into her chest and taking deep breathes. 

“She does. She will.”

I sobbed again.

“You need to stop crying.” 

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You must,” she urged holding me as tight as possible, running a soothing hand in a calming circle on my back. 

I fought hard to hold back the tears, breathing and squeezing hard to Carmilla, anchoring myself to her, using her as physical and emotional weight bearing hold. We just stood like that. Until I felt functional. Not better but able to keep a sliver of composure.

“What’s the plan?” I asked in a small voice. 

“We don’t have a plan…”

“No?” I asked shocked, she was always in control and now looked lost. 

“We send out Laf for a mountainous amount of artificial blood tomorrow during the day and then take it from there…”

Fuck.


	21. T W E N T Y - O N E

“Wake up,” Carmilla shook my shoulder. “Wake up! You gotta stay awake,” she told me. I was wiped out, we were sitting in the kitchen just slumping down in the chairs. I always hated coffee but I would kill for a lovely cup of it now. The sun had been up for just over an hour. I looked up at her, she was bleeding from her nose, ears and most disturbingly her eyes. Is that what I looked like when I cried?! Yuck. 

I just leaned my head in my hands and sat and felt my own blood trickle from my body. This didn’t happen last time I was awake during the day. Eugh. I was hungry. Ravenous. I couldn't even feel the distraught tightening pain in my gut after what had happened to my father. I couldn’t feel anything apart from crushing exhaustion. 

It wasn’t until 8am when Laf left for the shops and 8.20 when they got back. Carmilla gave them a massive wad of cash to buy ‘supplies,’ both for us and them and Perry. Holing up seemed like a terrible idea to me, but as running apparently wasn’t an option we didn’t have much else. A silver based weapon probably couldn’t be used again. Lilita would be wary of that. Not that we had one. 

When Laf finally got back, struggling with bags I pounced with the last piece of energy in my body on the synthetic blood and downed a bottle cold. It didn’t matter how gross it was. 

“I can’t go out there again,” Laf said heavily. I hadn’t noticed in my rush they were sweating and panting for air. 

“What happened?” Carmilla asked placing a bottle of blood into the microwave.

“People have gone crazy, they’re fighting and fucking in the street. I had to steal all this stuff, no one was in the grocery store…”

“Lilita…” I mumbled, watching the microwave tray rotate intently. 

“Yeah, she was probably glamored a lot of people last night…”

“Glamored?” Laf questioned.

“Vampires can control people’s mind,” Carmilla explained.

“I can’t…” I moaned.

“You’re still a baby,” Carmilla dismissed me. “I’ll teach you when you’ve shown you can demonstrate self-control for a while.

“You have mind control powers, super strong, fast and need our blood to live… No one wonder people hate vampires,” Laf huffed. 

“Hey!” I cried annoyed.

“It’s true we’re terrifying,” Carmilla nodded, everyone was ganging up on me. “You’ve been a vampire 5 minutes cupcake stop being all indignant. What else was happening out there?”

“Just what I said, plus smashed windows and vandalism.”

“It’s only the first night…” 

“Yeah, things will definitely get worse,” Carm confirmed. “She doesn’t understand there are consequences to her actions. If the army or some shit is deployed it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“Not a good one either,” I added to scoffs. 

Perry rushed into the kitchen from her room in a frantic hurry.

“Have you seen what’s happening out there?!” She cried, motioning with her hands to follow her as she turned back and hurried to her room. We all followed. Carmilla snatched out and grabbed my wrist.

“We can’t.”

Oh of course. The sun was spilling in from the window and we hung back as Laf peaked out with Perry. 

“Can you take some photos?” Carmilla asked. “I kinda wanna see.” 

Laf took out their phone and started snapping away and came over to us holding it out past the edge of the light to the dark. I took the phone and held it out in between us to scroll through the pictures. Holy shit. 

Just outside our window were people fighting shirtless and smashing car windows. It looked like anarchy. We just stared at the chaos as they stared out at it live. Captivated by the devastation until we were broken out of it by a crash behind us. Carmilla sped away to the kitchen, we followed in hot pursuit. 

“They’re breaking in the door…”

“What?!” Perry screamed. “What do we do?!”

“Relax they’re just humans,” Carm dismissed her.

“So are we!”

“Then hide behind us.”

There was another crash and I peered down the stairs at the front door, it was splintering under a battering ram. A couple more smacks and the door gave way, Perry squeaked at each slam. Four crazed looking men, one naked, ew, rushed up the stairs screaming. Carmilla simply walked forward and kicked the first guy in the chest, I recognized him, he was a patron of the Anvil. He toppled backwards, knocking the other marauders down like skittles. They seemed unaffected by the tumble, despite the fact it should hurt like hell.

They got back up, I heard an arm snap but couldn’t pinpoint which one of the idiots injured themselves. They didn’t look like they were going to try attacking us again any time soon. 

“What are you doing?” I asked indignantly.

“What do you want me to do?” Carmilla snapped.

“Breakfast,” I told her. 

“No. That’s quite enough of that.”

“Seriously? They were breaking in!” I whined, stamping my foot.

“Under Lilita’s control. It isn’t there fault.”

“So…”

“So we need to barricade the doorway with something a human can’t breach,” Carmilla said looking down the broken hallway. “Otherwise I’m just going to have to stand guard all day.”

“We can take turns,” I offered. Trying to be helpful.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?!”

“Because I don’t trust you not to kill them,” she said flatly.

“I wouldn’t do that!” I lied.

“L,” Laf called to me. 

“Yeah?”

“Please stop.”

“Stop what?” I asked getting angry. 

“You know what. Just stop.”

I moved in superspeed into my bedroom and slammed the door. It felt a little alien. It hadn’t been long since I was here last but a lot had changed since I was here last. I could see their point. I could see Carmilla’s too. I know I had killed a couple people. Here and there. But if we were in some struggle for our lives they needed me. Especially the humans.

Wait the humans?

I slapped the side of my head. I was thinking of my best friends who I lived with and loved as ‘the humans.’ I was confused. I needed human blood. Needed it bad. Though what joy had it truly brought me? None truly. In the moment it had. It had been pure ecstasy in the moment. Then what? Nothing but emptiness and pain. Even when I had killed and been satisfied drinking the blood the second it was drained dry I needed more and wasn’t satisfied… 

Lilita had killed my father and I had released her from her waking death.

I slapped the side of my head once again. 

My mind was jumping everywhere. Between guilt and between recollection and introspection. 

I tried to focus. Zoning out the voices of Carmilla, Laf and Perry talking in the hallway. 

Carmilla was right. I had behaved terribly. Really terribly. I could recognize that without feeling regretful for what I did. Was it possible to not feel sorry but also not wanting to continue that behavior? I guess it could be. 

I would probably be dead soon anyway so who cared? Lilita would kill me. Burn this place down and rip me to pieces as I fled. 

Why was everything so shit? Life had fucked up since I met a vampire. A vampire. I mulled the term over. I am a vampire. Ah! I pushed my nails into my temples, cheeks and forehead letting blood run out of the pressure from the holes I had created. I really was a mess. 

I screamed silently. Just letting a hard breath out pushing my nails into my flesh until I could I feel bone. I severely cut myself. I let go and allowed the holes I made in my head to heal. 

I considered pulling the blackout stuff from my window that had been erected soon after I had been turned and burning myself alive. I really considered it. If I was going to die why not take back some power? No stupid. That’s so stupid. I’d already killed myself once, I couldn’t do it again. If I was going to die… AGAIN, then I couldn’t do it to myself.

I sat next to my bed, on the floor head in my hands, drying blood all over me from my self-inflicted injuries. Until eventually something broke me from my partial mental breakdown. There was a commotion outside and then inside. My supernatural hearing was numbed by my deep thought. 

I stood up and wrenched open my door.

I almost exploded with rage, Danny Lawrence was standing there in my apartment. I rushed her, fangs fully extended. That bitch had betrayed me and I was hungry. I heard one of my ribs snap as Carmilla’s arm shot out and stopped my lunging attack. It stitched back up almost instantly. I was snapping and snarling as she restrained me. 

“Laura,” Perry cried. “Stop. Please, please, please, please, please just stop this!” She started crying. “I was trying to be strong. I was. I was trying!” Laf put an arm around her waist and squeezed her close reassuringly. “What? What Laf? I can’t bear seeing her like this.”

My fangs retracted back into my gums. Shit. 

“Sorry,” I mumbled. Carmilla gave me a look and I nodded hoping that conveyed that I was calm. She let go of me. 

“Sorry,” I repeated.

“Why are you here?” Carmilla asked. 

“I escaped.”

“How do we know you’re not under Lilita’s control?” Carmilla asked.

“Or Will’s?” I added as I steadied myself. 

“I’m not.”

“How the hell do we know that?”

“Because I’m not!”

“That isn’t enough. It isn’t,” Laf added. “As much as I hate to agree with psycho L she’s right. We can’t know.”

“She isn’t trying to break in and attack us,” Perry said in a small voice.

“So?” Laf replied. “She might be a Trojan horse. She might sent here to act like a friend to betray us.” They turned to Carmilla. “Is there some way to check if she’s under the influence of… Whoever.”

“No.”

“I’m not,” Danny stressed. She looked awful. Really awful. Weak and pale and frail. The neck puncture wounds in her neck were sore and angry looking. 

“You need to explain yourself,” Carmilla said sternly. The three hundred years of power reverberating through her as she commanded it. 

“Well, I… Look…” Danny stopped to take a deep breath. 

“Let’s sit down,” said Perry, being kind. We all moved to the kitchen table and Perry fetched Danny a tall glass of water which she slurped at. 

I went to the sink and washed the blood from my face before taking my seat. 

“So, I can remember everything. It doesn’t seem they are real memories, more like dream memories. I still remember though. I met Will. I was angry at you Laur, really angry, I liked you and you wanted her over me,” she said gesturing with her head at Carmilla. “So I went to a club and this vampire was there. Will. He was so good looking and nice and suave. I went home with him and yeah I slept with him. Then he gave me a little of his blood. I can’t remember now whether I consented. Either way he did. I can’t explain much past that. I just needed to do what he said. I needed to. I couldn’t imagine what I was going to do if it didn’t revolve around him. I did what he said. Letting him drink from me as he wished like a juice box. Lead Laur into a trap. Since the return of his mother, your mother I guess too,” she said pointing to Carm and I. “He didn’t think about me much anymore. He gave me his blood less frequently. He didn’t feed on me that much. He and his mother have massacred a lot of the town. He didn’t need me. Day after day I got my self-control and determination back. Today I had planned for several days. I wanted to break free. I needed to make the decision correctly. Time it right. I had to wait long enough to have enough strength to flee. Yet I couldn’t wait too long unless they fucking killed me. So today was the day I fled…”

“That might be bullshit…” Carmilla exhaled. “I want you believe you. Even though I don’t like you.”

“Carmilla!” Perry said exasperated.

“What I don't,” she clarified. “She’s lusted after my girlfriend while hating me.” 

“This really is a mess,” Laf commented. “A real mess. You don’t trust Danny, I’m not sure either. We’re sieged by enemies and that’s during the day and none of us trust L.”

I shrugged as I felt their eyes collectively fall on me.

“Hey, we’re focusing on Danny here,” I whined.

“I had to duck and dodge my way here,” Danny continued. 

“Did you hear any of their plans?” Carmilla pressed.

“Slivers. Fragments only. Mayhem was the key mostly. She wants to kill you,” Danny pointed at Carmilla. “She wants you back Laur, but might kill you.”

“Terrific,” I moaned.

“Carry on.”

“Right,” Danny said sipping at her water. “She has been mind controlling as many people in the town as possible with the command of creating.. Well as I said mayhem.”

“It seems a little short sighted,” I said.

“What?”

“It’s short sighted,” I said, “I mean what happens after she fucks up this town? The army gets deployed? She destroys another town?”

“Lilita isn’t one for plans. She is intelligent, she truly is. But her power comes from being seductive,” Carmilla explained. “She’s seductive. She seduced me. She seduced cutie, she seduces. Then once she has someone under her spell she wrecks havoc. There is nothing. Nothing past that. She just repeats the process. The intelligence and the planning and machiavellian scheming is all based in seduction, not long term. She’s indulgent. Nothing more.”

“Then there’s hope,” Laf piped up.

“There’s no hope,” Carmilla shook her head, “she is thousands of years old. Even if we could outsmart her, her power from her age trumps all of that.”

“So we’re all fucked?” 

“Yup.”

“Well in the meantime can I use your bathtub to block the doorway?” Carmilla asked.

“I suppose so,” Laf said.

She stood up and went to the bathroom and there was a horrendous tearing and ripping noise and she returned through the bathroom door knocking chunks out of the wall. Carmilla was holding the bathtub with a lot of the grouting and pipes attached underneath and without even acknowledging us went down to the door and there were unpleasant scraping noises as she clearly fixed it in the way. 

“All sealed up,” she told us returning. “You can’t wash anymore.”

Laf and Perry stayed with Danny in their room, I could hearing them talking. They were just worried about themselves. About living. About what the night fall would bring. 

Carmilla and I were sharing a bottle of artificial blood in my room. Sitting on my bed. I was lying back against the wall without pillows while she sat cross legged on the bed. We passed the bottle back and forth wordlessly. I checked the time on my bedside clock and saw it was almost 6.30. It was dusk. The sun would be down within an hour or so. Then death could be coming for us both. I put my hand out and placed it on her upper thigh and started rubbing back and forth. 

“Cupcake,” she sighed.

“What?” I asked innocently. 

“We can’t.”

“Can’t what?” I asked, weaving naivety into my voice. 

“You know what.”

“Why not?” I asked. 

“Well…” She stopped and scowled. I stopped moving my hand and left it resting on her thigh but remained still. “You’re right. Fuck it.” She murmured. I gasped as she moved in superspeed to kiss me, the back of my head smashed into the wall and started leaking blood from the impact. “I kind of hate you at the moment,” she growled in between kisses. Her fangs tore a nasty hole in the side of my face, I could feel all my upper teeth on the right side of my face exposed. Half my cheek was missing and she kissed me again fiercely. My cheek bone, bare and out, bumped against her face. 

She tore my pants off, ripping the material off, leaving deep bloody welts in my legs. As she pulled them off me and as my skin on my face started healing I snarled and let my fangs extend and I bit her deep in her collarbone, the tip of my caine piercing deep into the clavicle. I tasted marrow and blood. I had to wrench my head back as she pushed three fingers inside me and out then in. Her hand moving roughly and in superspeed. I rocked my head back as she bit me again in the back on my neck, near the spine on the trapezius. I moaned and gasped and cried in the mixture of pleasure and pain. With her free hand she snatched off my top and ripped my bra off too leaving more bloody marks in my breasts. The tips of her fingers touching my ribs through the wounds she made in me.

As her fingers pushed in and out of me I pushed my nails into her back, past the flesh, until I could hook my fingers under her ribs. Anchoring myself to her by holding onto each of her rib bones. I moaned as I finished. My face wasn’t healed properly, half of my mouth was still missing and I could feel the skin tear in the growl I made.

I used the nail holes I had in her back and used her ribcage to flip her onto her back so I was on top and used my fingernail, after I took it free from her spine, and cut open her lacey, black corset and leather pants. Leaving them broken and ripped. I left a long, thin red line where my fingernail had torn her skin. I moved down her body so I was nestled between her legs. 

I licked her. Ran my tongue from the bottom of her to the top, running a circle and then a reverse circle over her clit. She moaned for a second before I bit her deeply and viciously in the upper thigh letting her bleed over my forehead and face. It poured into the vile gash in my cheek as my tongue darted out into and through her, tasting both her sex and her blood. She dug her nails into the back of my head, the tips breaking my skull and leaving holes like bullet holes as she pushed me into her. 

I could feel my hair get matted with blood as it ran down my neck but I kept my mouth moving, using superspeed until she finished. 

Afterwards we lay apart. Not hugging. Not cuddling. Not spooning. It was kind of awkward. Because she was so much older than me all of the nasty things I did to her, her body healed before mine. 

It was awkward.

“Shame you broke the shower,” I said after a long time.

She snorted with laughter and shook her head looking down. I could tell she was laughing despite herself. After she stopped, she looked at me. We shared a glance.

“You’re still an idiot you know?”

“I’m adorable!” I beamed at her.

“You know you jaw is almost falling off.”

“Adorable,” I confirmed with most of my teeth still exposed through the gash.

She laughed again, shaking her head again before leaning over and kissing me and my cut up face before going to my cupboards and pulling out clothes to dress herself. 

We hadn’t spoken much in the time after our violent sex but things were clearly better. I healed a lot. I washed my face in the sink as Carmilla helped get the chunks of blood out of my hair and I returned the favor. It was pleasant. Cleaning each other. After savaging each other. The air and atmosphere between us was clearer though. We fucked the awkwardness out of each other.

“Sundown,” Perry called. 

We all convened in the kitchen.

We remained silent for quite a while.

“You know,” Laf broke the silence. “I think we may have mentioned it before, but we don’t have soundproof walls you two.”

“Ah!” Was all I could manage. 

More silence stretched out. 

“So,” Danny spoke up. “What do we do?”

“Wait,” Carmilla said.

“That’s it huh?”

“Pretty much.”

So we waited. 

It was painful. The wait hurt it was so intense and painful. Time dripped by. If it were in an hourglass it would be one where the neck wasn’t quite big enough for the grains to drop organically. 

It was just after 10 when Carmilla’s phone rang. It was my number. My phone was in Lilita’s possession.

Deep breaths were taken by all. 

She slid the green call button to accept the call. 

“Hello?! Hello?! I’ll just presume you can hear me dear daughters, the town is mine. Everything here is mine. You may be hidden in your flat but how long can that last? How long?”

Lilita’s voice sounded incredibly smug. 

No one responded.

“I’ll be seeing you soon.”

The line went dead.

“Fuck.”

“Fuck is right.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck.”

“Saying fuck isn’t going to help,” Carmilla tried to calm everyone down. “We need to think of something… Fuck! Ok, fuck, we have nothing.”

“Oh great,” Laf sighed. “You’re the oldest here, I don’t know how old.”

“335,” I offered up.

“Right,” Laf took that and went with it, “and you can’t think of a plan?”

“We need silver,” Carmilla said flatly.

“Will that help?”

“Probably not but it won’t hurt.”

“Well I’m sure Perry and L have some silver jewellery.” 

“I’m sure we do,” I said sarcastically. I didn’t know why I was still being a bitch. I think it was the residue of the blood lust still crawling under my skin. 

“Even if they do we would need a smelter to melt it down. No one has any guns around here,” Laf said very downtrodden.

“That’s not true,” Danny said. She pulled a pistol from under her jacket and tossed it on the table.

“Where the fuck did you get that from?!” Laf asked in disbelief. 

“One of the many dead cops at the Anvil.”

“Right… So we need to make a fire and equipment to melt the silver,” Carmilla said.

Lafontaine and Carmilla talked in quick hushed, intense whispers. After a long exchange Carmilla tore our kettle apart and made a basin, she then ripped the legs off one of the kitchen chairs and made a stand, placing the basin on top of it. Perry and I threw our silver rings and necklaces into it. A fire was lit and we waited as it burnt and burnt and melted the silver slowly.

I went on watch duty at the doorway. Protecting the entrance from potential attacks. It seemed like a waste of time. Though secretly, deep down, I was happy my friends had changed their minds from the afternoon and let me guard without worrying I’d start killing people. 

After midnight a barrage of humans, clearly under the power of Lilita or Will tried to storm the apartment. The bath was stuck in the way but their arms pressed in the small gaps with no regard for their safety. I kicked the bath further down the steps from where it was wedged and I heard the assailants yelp in agony as it knocked them back. 

I kicked the sides of the entrance hallway until it collapsed around the bath and made a true obstruction. I went back into the apartment. Laf and Carmilla had their backs to me working on something on the kitchen table. Danny was pacing around. Perry was in her room. I could hear her heartbeat and breath. 

“What happened?” Laf asked not looking up, clearly concentrating.

“Marauders, I kicked the wall down so there’s no way they could get through without a drill.”

“Good.”

“What you guys doing?” I asked.

“Making silver bullets,” Laf said. 

I looked over their shoulder. They were carefully pouring melted silver into the bullet casings. There were remnants of the gunpowder cast over the table where they had emptied them to make room for the silver. 

I watched in silence not wanting to distract them. When they finally finished the last of the nine bullets we all stayed as quiet as they pushed them into the magazine of the handgun. Danny had stopped pacing and was standing next to me watching over my shoulder. Perry came out and watched too.

After careful work Laf slid the magazine into the handgun and cocked the mechanism back.

“We’re ready.” 

“Ok.”

“Ok.”

“Ok.”

Carmilla took the offered gun and weighed it up before standing. Laf stood too.

All of us were standing together. 

We needed to act. Whatever it was we needed to. At least now we had something.


	22. T W E N T Y - T W O

Everyone in the apartment were standing around the kitchen table looking down at the pistol. My small sense of hope was wavering. When we were making silver bullets it seemed like a plan. Now it seemed like nothing. A pathetic little pistol. I swear I'd heard of meth addicts on some drug binge being able to still attack cops after being shot with the entire magazine.

“Does anyone know how to shoot?” I asked, breaking the hushed silence.

No one replied. I would guess that was a no. A bunch of college kids and an aristocratic girl from the 18th century. Not really a good pool for finding a crack shot marksman. 

“We have excess silver,” LaF told us. “Any ideas?”

“I'm exhausted,” Carmilla sighed rubbing a hand over her head. “I'm getting the bleeds.”

Now she mentioned it I was too. Just wiped out, I hadn't slept during the day and any adrenaline I had was spent. I don't know if I had adrenaline anymore. I barely knew anything about my new body. It was depressing that I was probably about to die within a couple days…

“How long until sunup?” I asked.

“Couple of hours.”

“Couldn't we go out without you and kill Lilita when she is sleeping?” Laf asked. 

“With the streets full of people she's controlling? I doubt it,” Perry murmured.

“We have a gun.”

“We can't kill innocent people.”

“Why is that?” I asked. Everyone collectively sighed. “What?! It's looking likely we’re going to die so when does it become acceptable to sacrifice others for us?” I was getting exasperated now. “If a few people die to save many more and importantly us.”

“I want to go to heaven,” Perry said quietly.

“Lucky you have that option,” I spat. This was frustrating.

“Neither of us are any good in the state we’re in,” Carmilla said putting a hand on my shoulder. “We need to sleep and so do you guys.”

“What if they break in?”

“I doubt they will, cupcake here did a pretty good job kicking the stairway down…” She wandered over to entrance and stared down. The door had been left open. “I don't think anyone human is getting through that.”

“You don't think?”

“I'm tired.”

“I'll stay awake for a shift watch,” Danny offered.

“Oh will you?” I snapped at her. 

“What?” She looked at me confused.

“You, Danny Lawrence, who was under Will’s influence for so long, who came here as half the town is under Lilita’s influence is so, so, so kindly offering to guard us while we sleep!” I said accusingly. “Go pretend to be on their side and let us in at the first chance they drop their guard,” I imitated Lilita. 

“And how do we know you're not under her influence?” She retorted rounding on me towering above.

“Because I chose to do that stuff, now I'm not, you can't help it, if you're under her control you have no power but the power to do her will.”

“She's right,” Perry spoke up.

The hurt look of betrayal Danny gave her seemed genuine. Still I wasn't trusting myself in deep sleep to be kept safe by a potential double agent, no matter how slim the chances.

“Perr,” LaF slapped their partner’s arm. 

“Come on LaF Laura is right, Danny did do a lot under the influence of them,” Perry whispered the word ‘them,’ “it isn't worth the risk… I'll stay up first.”

It was agreed upon. Danny slunk off, rejected and dejected to sleep on the sofa and LaF went to their room. They were sleeping during the day like us. Though unlike us they would be up in the latter half of the day. 

Lying in my bed I was getting nervous. I knew what my dreams could be. Not only that but I would have to delve into the darkest recesses of my visions. Or whatever they were. I knew Lilita waited in them. Carmilla assured me there was nothing she could do to me in my dreams but how did she know? She didn't know what I saw, she didn't know what happened inside my head. I didn't even know what could happen.

“You alright?” Carmilla asked after stifling a deep yawn.

“I suppose so…”

“You know what you're going to do in your dreams?”

“Not really… I don't have them every night… I don't know…” I trailed off and rubbed my hands over my face.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. It was the first tender touch we had shared since I went on that bloodlust filled rampage with Lilita and Will. It was nice. Like we were coming back together. The sex we had yesterday was brutal. It was fun and exciting but I missed the sweetness we had shared. I leaned my head against her hand.

“Don't be scared, I need you, your friends need you and you need your own abilities.”

“I don't have any abilities…”

“I'm not ready to die and we have to fight and anything is an advantage… Any scrap.”

“At least you've lived several lives,” I said in a small voice.

“True but still…” 

I raised my head and looked at her. We exchanged a charged look, there was something deep there which I couldn't place. I smiled a small smile which she returned. There was no happiness behind it, I lay down on my side, not bothering to remove my clothes. Carmilla lay behind me and wrapped an arm around me and kicked the sheets over us. I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overcome me. 

I couldn't pinpoint when the darkness from my shut eyelids became the darkness of sleep. The museum again. I was there. It was a relief on one hand, the fact I was in the place in my mind where I wanted to be, but on the other I was full of trepidation. I knew the way around at this point, which way went to Carmilla's past, which was Will’s, which was mine. There were other pathways I had left unexplored. I would guess they were other vampiric brothers and sisters I hadn't met yet. Carmilla mentioned a Matska… It didn't matter. I knew what I had to do. I took the steps, reserved and fearful.

There she was. After a couple days of not seeing her she took my breath away. Lilita Morgan. Clad in a Roman toga. Behind a roped off museum exhibition. I moved on very quickly before she could spring to life and begin talking to me. The next roped off exhibit was her again this time in a pale beige tunic. Still from the Roman era. What I could see was a bedroom cut in half right where the rope began. She must have still been human as the balcony on which she was standing was basking in the low glow of the setting sun. 

I jumped back in shock as a man walked out of the shadows and remained out of the light. Very deliberately keeping out of the sun. He must be a vampire. He began speaking but I didn't understand for a moment before the Ancient Greek or Latin turned into English mid sentence.

“Very nice, a very nice sunset for your last sunset,” he said from the shroud of the darkness.

“My last ever,” she spoke without turning around. She held her arms up taking in as much sunshine as possible over as much skin as possible. Her voice hadn't changed in 2000 years. Sultry and velvet. The definition of seduction. “Now Cassius I'm ready,” she turned around and padded back into the solar. Her eyes flickered up at me, but looked right through me. 

Unlike my previous adventure into this strange family museum of memories she didn't interact with me. Didn't even acknowledge me. 

Lilita moved into the darkness to join Cassius and pulled her hair off her neck and tilted her head sideways. She was ready for this. Unlike me. Unlike Carmilla. She was making the conscious decision to die and become a monster. He wrapped his arms around her and dipped his face over her neck. His back obscured her from view but it wasn't hard to guess what was going on. After what seemed like an age of me being fixated on them she fell to her knees. He drew a knife and slit his wrist and pressed it to her lips. Even in her weakened state she clung to it hungry and desperately.

She fell back onto the floor and Cassius picked her up with the greatest care and froze. I waited a moment longer before moving on. Next there were several scared looking people in cheap tunics. I guessed slaves. After a moment of waiting they sprung to life, trembling together, Lilita stormed in and began ravaging each one in turn. Using her fangs to rip them to shreds. It was a massacre. She froze after casting aside the last dead body. I turned to move on. I was ready for Lilita to talk to me, to intimidate me through my dreams. 

It just didn't happen. I moved on it wasn't Rome anymore. It was a court by the looks of it. Men were holding spears wearing chain mail. If I were better at history I might be able to place the time frame. I had no idea. I just moved on again. If I was looking for something I couldn't waste time, a 2000 year life would have lots of surplus parts. I needed something specific. Specifically what happened when she was confined to silver in a casket in one of the Great Lakes. Who did it, how she was defeated. Not what she was up to in medieval Europe. 

I kept pacing at a steady speed constantly looking sideways at what was depicted. It was flashes through history. I started recognizing the periods, closer to the renaissance, the clothes getting closer to modern day. Redcoats of British uniforms started cropping up and I stopped to watch. Several redcoats were poised not yet moving in a wooded area, it was dark, only my night vision made it possible to see them. Jumping to life they walked through the trees holding muskets ready. Looking closer I could see men in blue uniforms, presumably American, lying wounded. The British were savage bayoneting them as they pleaded for their lives. The redcoats dispatched the last man, who put his hand up to try to block the incoming blade but it pierced his hand and went right into his face. 

In a flash Lilita moved in super speed and attacked and drained the redcoats. That was it… Was her past on display just her killing indiscriminately throughout time? Killing Romans, Celts, Vikings etc. I was right to skip past a lot of this. I needed to find what I was specifically looking for. Not her rise, not her years of bloodlust, but her downfall. There were so many mock exhibits that when I looked over my shoulder I couldn't see where I had entered. I had never finished my exhibition, I hadn't finished anyone's, but the end of the hallway was at least in sight in mine.

I moved through another scene of redcoats, then the soldiers uniforms became dark green, closer to modern colors. Her past seemed to be linked with war. She was obsessed with death and chaos. She must have involved herself with the worst and most brutal goings on throughout history. More and more blood and death and suffering continued on in front of me. 

I saw Will. Time to pause I decided. He was in a military hospital bed covered in blood. He looked severely wounded. I waited until everything sprung to life, he was moaning and groaning in pain. A nurse came over. For a second I didn't recognize her. Lilita’s distinctive auburn hair hidden under the white hat of a nurse. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked.

“It doesn't matter,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“And why is that?” 

I heard the insincerity in her voice, I knew she knew why it didn't matter to him. She was toying with him. If I didn't know better I would have thought Will would have died from the wounds he had clearly sustained. The white sheet over him was horrendous. The blood had seeped through so much there was barely any white left. 

“If I survive these injuries they'll shoot me anyway,” he said before descending into a coughing fit. A vicious one at that. I almost felt bad for him… Almost. 

“Oh really?” The insincerity was dripping now. “What did you do?”

“I killed prisoners…” He was unashamed. Not proud either. Just stating fact. “Killed women and children.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to,” Will met Lilita’s eyes for a second before coughing again, blood coming up now.

“I know.”

“You know?”

“It's why I'm here, I'm here for you, I'm looking for someone with such an… Shall we say appetite? Let's. An appetite for violence.”

“For the nurses corp?” He smirked wiping the blood from his lips and breathing deep.

“No. I'm offering life beyond the darkness.”

“Nothing is beyond the darkness.”

“I am the darkness.”

They froze. I guess I didn't need to see what was going to happen after this. Obviously this was how Will joined the family. He was invited due to his war crimes? What was I doing in this family? I remembered it was unintentional. I had to. Though it did raise the question what did Carmilla do to garner the attention of Lilita? Will was a murderer and a monster as a human. 

I kept moving. Only for the hall to shake and the old timey light fixtures hanging from the ceiling of the mystical museum began flashing going dark. The world closed in on itself and there was a blinding flash of light. I jolted awake, Carmilla woke at the same time. It must have been sundown. 

“Did you see anything!?” She asked panicked, not wasting a single second.

“Is it sundown?” I asked feeling bleary. It wasn't the most restful sleep. I was feeling better and I could sense the bleeds had stopped. I wouldn't be leaking from every hole in my body anymore.

“Yes, did you see anything?”

“A lot, yeah, but I didn't get to the end.”

“The end?”

“It's hard to explain. Look, I can see snapshots of the past, I know I explained that but there's a lot of past in her case,” I tried to elaborate. “I saw her turned, and…”

“Wait you saw her turned?!” 

“Yeah it was prepared in advance she stood on a balcony enjoying the setting sun then was turned by a Roman called Cassius.”

“Never heard the name… I just know she killed her maker.”

“Really, Jesus… Well most of her past was war. Wherever war was the most fierce she placed herself. I got all the way up to her turning Will then… Then I woke up now,” I told her.

She sighed and hanged her head in defeat.

“We will just have to survive another night and hope something is revealed tomorrow…”

“Why did Lilita turn you?” I asked flatly. Not wanting to look up at her, not brave enough, so I just stared ahead. “Because I know why she turned Will.” She didn't reply so I filled the gap by continued. “He was dying in an army hospital in France and was up for court martial and firing squad for war crimes… So if she was obsessed with war, and violence, and cruelty…”

“I get it,” she interrupted me. “Why me?”

“Yeah.”

“I wasn't particularly cruel, maybe by modern standards… My father was part of a grand coalition fighting the Ottoman Empire. I was intoxicated by her and she came to the court looking for war and found me…” 

“You're being vague.”

“This isn't the time.”

“When is? We could be dead soon.”

“Then it won't matter will it?”

“You're hiding something and we’re supposed to trust each other.”

“You cheated on me within the last week after lying to me for weeks before, I think I'm being pretty fucking trusting,” she snapped. 

“Fine,” I planted my feet on the floor. “It's fine.”

“Fuck,” she exhaled before sighing and following me into the apartment. It was dark. No one had turned on the lights yet. I wonder if they were still sleeping. We had survived the night… Well the day. So Danny didn't betray us. 

“You guys are awake,” LaF came over rushing, they had the pistol in their hand, knuckles white from the grip. “The power is out!”

“Of course it is!” I exclaimed.

“I checked out the street window and other lights are on, so it looks like it's just us. Whatever is out there is coming for us,” they rattled out gesturing with the gun. 

“No, not yet,” Carmilla said looking back over her shoulder and scowling. “It's an old siege tactic, make us stew in our agony.”

“She is obsessed with warfare…” I added quietly. 

“Yeah no kidding, we need time… We need another day’s sleep,” Carmilla shot me a significant look. “Next will be the noise to mean we can't rest in here and start going crazy and hungry.”

“You sure?”

“No,” she said flatly, “it's an educated guess.”

“Terrific. Well anyway thinking how to use our excess silver I thought Molotov cocktails,” LaF told us. Not a bad idea. “Especially since we have no use for the oil in the heater without electricity.”

“How do we melt the silver?”

“I'll just snap it into pieces and put it into the bottles… We can use the old bottles of artificial blood,” Carmilla suggested. “It'll burn a lot but if I do it quickly… It's the only option.” She looked down at her hands, as if readying them for the pain to come.

She and LaF went off to the kitchen to discuss war plans. It seemed a little futile to me. The world outside of this apartment no longer felt real. I didn't want to think about it for a few minutes at least. I wandered into Perry and LaF’s room. Perry was peeking out of blinds over the windows which faced the street. Danny was sleeping in their bed. 

“Anything interesting out there?” I asked her. She jumped a little in surprise turning to acknowledge me.

“Interesting? I guess, people have been gathering more and more and just staring up at us.”

I came and joined her and looked out tentatively making sure there was no residue light coming in. When I was sure I wouldn't catch on fire I looked out. It wasn't a great sight. Two cars had crashed and were burning still, there were smouldering remains everywhere and all the shop fronts were either smashed or covered in graffiti. There were 12, I counted, men and women standing, swaying like zombies, littered over the street staring up at us. They were holding pipes and bats. A stone came flying up. I pushed Perry out of the way and caught it. I pushed her harder than I meant and she hit the floor, waking up Danny before the window smashed. 

I held the rock and threw it up and caught it again in my palm. I saw another rock incoming and used the one I was holding to deflect it. I launched the projectile back. Striking the shirtless man who was covered in mud in the head. He fell to the tarmac hard. Oops. I shuffled back from the window and shut the blinds. Accidental murder probably wouldn't go down to well with my fellow house prisoners. I tried to look innocent. Nothing wrong over here… 

I looked over at Perry and Danny. Both were staring at me.

“What?” I asked with a shrug.

“Did you hit anyone?”

“No, I was shooting a warning shot,” I lied, trying to act casual. “LaF is making silver molotovs.”

“Will that help if we're attacked by those… Zombies,” Perry cried.

“There are zombies?” Danny asked wide eyed and scared.

“There aren't zombies!” I said frustrated… “Well, actually there might be… I don't know, but they aren't zombies let's stop using that word. It's… Let's just stop. They are under mind control.”

“Oh yeah!” Perry sounded a little hysterical now. “Zombies, now that's ridiculous! Just wild. Completely silly and ludicrous! But people of our town under vampire mind control now that, that makes sense.” She seemed partially crazed. “Zombies noooooo, vampire’s minions yeah!”

“Calm down Perr,” Danny held Perry's hand. “We have to be strong.”

“Oh fuck off Danny,” Perry spat. “Laura wouldn't be a vampire if it wasn't for you. And we wouldn't be the target a thousand year old monster if she wasn't!”

“Oh!” Danny jumped to her feet, looming over Perry. “Really this is my fucking fault! I did those things because I had to. My mind wasn't my own!” Now she sounded hysterical. “You know who is to blame? Vampires. I wouldn't have lead Laura into a trap if I wasn't under a vampire's control. Laura wouldn't be his target if she wasn't dating a vampire. It's all them. They're turning the fucking town against us and now we’re turning on each other. They're monsters who need our blood to live! It's obvious where the blame lies.”

“You know what Danny,” I confronted her, “if you want to deal with these lunatics,” I gestured out of the window. “On your own without the help of this vampire,” I jabbed a finger into my own chest. “The best of luck to you.” 

“Don't act so high and mighty, I know something no one else here knows!”

“What's going on here?” LaF had entered the room. Probably drawn by the raised voices. I could hear Carmilla still working away in the kitchen, she would be able to hear everything anyway. 

“We're having a heart to heart,” Danny said angrily. “So when I couldn't control myself, Laura's delightful brother Will sent me over here in the dead of night to be a lovely midnight snack for Laura. She was happy to insult me, threaten me and then drink from me and kick me out.”

“I let you walk away, I think I should get a thank you,” I snarled letting my fangs extend as I paced towards her. “But thanks for sharing, now I know who to eat when we run out of artificial blood. Then use your giant, oversized body as part of the barricade to block up the window.”

We stood for a long minute, me staring up at her and her staring back down at me. I could see the fear in her eyes, I could hear her heart beating faster, her nerve was on a knife edge. LaF put a hand on my shoulder and tried to yank me back, she didn't move me a fraction. 

“Come on guys, this is literally the exact thing they want. Us cooped up fighting each other before they get to us.”

“Zombies,” Perry muttered to herself sinking down onto her bed and putting her head in her hands, trembling. “Zombies.”

“Laura put away your teeth and calm down, share a blood with Carmilla and I'll show you the molotovs,” LaF offered. “Danny call if someone tries to get in the window.”

Danny just nodded and looked away from me.

I followed LaF out.

Carmilla was stuffing oily rags made from the looks of them; checkered, tea towels, into the necks of bottles. The bottles reeked of oil and I could see fine flecks of silver inside them. I could smell burning flesh. It must have been Carmilla's from breaking the silver up. 

“Told you,” she said not looking up from her task.

“What?” I asked confused.

“Siege tactics… We're turning on each other already. It's probably good fun for Lilita,” she said darkly. 

“I’m going to check on the others,” LaF said. “Oh ok here?” When Carmilla gave them nod they left us alone in the kitchen.

“You shouldn't have killed that guy,” she said without looking at me, fiddling with the fuses on her makeshift silver bomb. “I heard you throw something and I heard a heartbeat outside stop,” she explained when she glanced up at me and I gave her a quizzical look.

“I didn't mean to…”

“This is why people hate us, human life is so easy to steal.”

“I didn't mean to,” I repeated uselessly.

“I believe you… Besides, it doesn't matter that much. I fear it won't be the last innocent life lost.”

“I thought you said we couldn't kill people…”

“We shouldn't, but I said that in front of the human members of this lock in. Our harmony is crucial. They really don't trust you and if they think I'm keeping your volatility down then that'll help.”

“Oh ok, so you're not above dishonesty?” I smirked lightly punching her in the arm.

“Not in this situation no. As I said I'm not ready to die, and I don't want you to die either…”

“Thanks I don't want you to die!” 

“Well we have six molotovs and a gun with nine silver filled bullets, it's something but who knows if it's enough. If it's anything. Lilita hasn't really revealed herself.”

“Do you think word has spread out of this town?”

“I have no way to tell. Lilita is smart, but as I told you, it's seductive and self interested, she is reckless when it comes to the long term effects of her actions,” she explained. “If the army is deployed hundreds will die.”

“But we'll survive.”

“Maybe not, I doubt they'd differentiate between good and bad vampires.”

“Things are really fucked up.”

“You don't say.”

Carmilla moved the molotovs to Perry and LaF’s window sills, so they could be flung down if Lilita decided to show up in the flesh. The rest of the oil from the heater was used to create a small fire with a broken wooden chair to toast bread and bacon. They ate slowly. I could imagine I wouldn't be hungry with the fear if I was them. Carmilla and I split a bottle of blood. The bathtub was filled with water and covered with plastic wrap in case our supply of water was cut off too. With the bath full of water and every bottle refilled with water and placed everywhere around, the broken up furniture on fire and the boarded up front door all in the darkness it felt truly apocalyptic.

The hours of night wiled away slowly, it was uneventful, painfully so. Not that I wanted anything to happen by any means, but when you were expecting something to the time passed slower than ever. Not on the best terms nor in the best moods there was little to no conversation. When it was close to sunup I checked out of the window. The amount of dead eyed people outside had grown to nearly 30. A small army. I checked on the entrance but it was still solid and unbroken.

When sunup arrived I slid into my bed. Carmilla insisted I sleep as soon as possible. I was lying under the sheets, still fully clothed in case I needed to spring into action during the day. I could hear Carmilla instructing the others to wake her forcefully if something happened but not to touch me no matter what. It was a lot of pressure. 

The back of my eyelids turned into dark, then I was back. In the now familiar sight of the museum. I knew what I was doing I knew where I was going. I moved there at speed. I didn't seem to have my vampiric super speed in this reality. I moved sharply past all the snapshots of history I'd seen. I reached Will in his deathbed and moved on. Now I was in new uncharted territory. The next red velvet roped off exhibit was of a factory. There were people, hundreds hanging from chains off the girders on the ceiling. 

Everything kicked to life and screams rang out. The hanging men and women were 10, 15, 20 feet in the air, entrails hanging out of some of them. Some dead. Most dying. Vile, festering wounds prevalent on them all. Lilita walked underneath them looking up, incredibly pleased with what she was seeing. She was wearing a black cocktail dress, the train of the dress trailing over the bloodied factory floor. Hands and feet separated from legs and arms were littered over the place along with bones and body parts in varying states of decay. 

Lilita began rotating slowly under the dripping blood from the hanging bodies and smiling wide enjoying the horror.

She froze. The screams stopped and I knew I had seen all I could and moved on. The next was the factory once more, the bodies were different, new faces added to the horrorshow. It all kicked to life and Lilita rushed around panicked. I hadn't seen her much but she had never been anything but unflappable. This may have been the significant thing I was rooting around for. She was rushing to an exit, tearing open the door only to scream in frustration before slamming it shut and moving in full vampiric speed to another and repeating the process. 

The doors she tried and closed opened at once and men and women entered in perfect unison. They were all vampires, it was clear. The men wearing suits, the women dresses. The clothing looked like it was 1920s maybe 1930s I couldn't place it but a long time ago. They formed a circle around Lilita. I couldn't see over their backs. I tried to jump. It was no good. 

“Lilita Morgan, your reckless behavior has endangered our kind.”

“Reckless?” I recognized Lilita's voice. “I'm doing what we do.”

“Not any longer, times are changing you can't do this anymore.”

“You won't stop me.”

“Then we condemn yo…”

“Dearest daughter,” Lilita's voice came from outside of the exhibit I was watching. I turned in fright to see her, and her, and her again and again. Every single version of her throughout history had left their exhibits and were facing me in a line. “Visiting the families past again?”

I couldn't find the words. She can't hurt you here. I looked back at the exhibit I was watching but it had frozen. I had missed the crucial event. I starting taking steps back, there were very few more exhibitions. The row of Lilita's weren't moving just staring. Smiling. I looked to my left and saw a coffin under water. Like the one I found her in with Will. 

“If I let you make it another night why not visit your girlfriends memories, see what sort of person that ungrateful girl used to be.”

I kept stepping backwards, even though she didn't move forward. I tripped and fell into an abyss. I woke in my bed. Carmilla was sleeping next to me. 

Even in the midst of all that was happening I wanted to sleep again and see what Lilita was talking about.


End file.
